The rediscovery of the Italian roe deer: genetic differentiation and management implications

Genetic diversity and differentiation were assessed in 12 populations of roe deer, Capreolus capreolus, from Italy, through examination of restriction fragment length polymorphism of two segments in the mitochondrial genome, the D-loop and NADH dehydrogenase 1, and analysis of 13 microsatellite loci. Both methods yielded concordant results and provided evidence for the existence of two genetically distinct lineages of roe deer in the Italian peninsula. One lineage occurs in populations of the Alpine arc, whilst the other is found in those of central-southern Italy, where the existence of subspecies C. c. italicus had been previously proposed. This southern lineage could have a more ancient origin or, alternatively, diverged as a consequence of movements of populations southwards during the Late Pleistocene. The unexpected rediscovery of dense populations of C. c. italicus in southern Tuscany marks them as the most suitable source of roe deer for reintroductions into southern Italy, a very large area where presently the Italian roe deer is nearly extinct. A Bayesian approach to microsatellite data allowed a finer resolution of population structure, indicating that some populations in central Italy, as well as in the western Alps, are admixed, and share ancestry partly in non Italian gene pools, suggesting that human manipulation has greatly affected the natural genetic structure of populations. A palaeontological perspective of the former presence of roe deer in Italy and implications for the management and conservation of C c. italicus are provided.