GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION AMONG 6 POPULATIONS OF RED DEER (CERVUS ELAPHUS L.) IN POLAND BASED ON MICROSATELLITE DNA POLYMORPHISM

Recently, there has been considerable interest in genetic differentiation in the Cervidae family. A common tool used to determine genetic variation in different species, breeds and populations is DNA analysis, which allows for direct determination of the differences and changes within a group of animals. Because the analysis of microsatellite polymorphism in different Cervidae populations revealed considerable genetic variability in individual populations, it was important to test a set of markers in animals from these populations. The study was performed with muscle tissue and blood samples collected from a total of 793 red deer. Six groups (subpopulations) of red deer were defined according to region: Masurian (330 animals), Bieszczady (194 animals), Malopolska (80 animals), Sudety (76 animals), Lower Silesian (62 animals) and Lubusz (51 animals). The analysis involved 12 STR markers (BM1818, OarAE129, OarFCB5, OarFCB304, RM188, RT1, RT 13, T26, T156, T193, T501, TGLA53), for which conditions for simultaneous amplification were established. Based on this study, it is concluded that the chosen set of 12 microsatellite markers could be used to evaluate the genetic structure and to monitor changes in Poland's red deer population.