Post-glacial recolonization of insular Newfoundland across the Strait of Belle Isle gave rise to an endemic subspecies of woodland caribou, Rangifer tarandus terranovae (Bangs, 1896): evidence from mtDNA haplotypes

• Main Authors: Wilkerson, Corinne D, Mahoney, Shane P, Carr, Steven M
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: NRC Research Press (a division of Canadian Science Publishing) 2018
• Subjects: Belle Isle; Newfoundland; Strait of Belle Isle; Rangifer tarandus
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/90397; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/gen-2017-0199

Abstract: Post-glacial origins of Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus ssp) on the island of Newfoundland and their relationship to mainland populations have been uncertain. Sequence analysis of 2,223 bp of the mitochondrial DNA Control Region and Cytochrome b gene from 233 Newfoundland caribou identified 32 haplotypes in four major clades. Comparison with other Nearctic caribou confirms a closer affinity of the basal Clade A with animals from the mainland, and as an outgroup to Clades B, C, D that are endemic to the island. This indicates re-entry of caribou to post-glacial Newfoundland across the Strait of Belle Isle from Labrador, rather than from southern coastal refugia. Newfoundland caribou are a distinct subspecies, Rangifer tarandus terranovae (Bangs, 1896). Hierarchical AMOVA shows significant clinal differentiation of the major clades from northwest to southeast across the island. The isolated Avalon peninsula population in the extreme southeast is genetically depauperate. Founder effects are evident in herds introduced to previously unoccupied areas by wildlife managers over the past 40 ~ 50 years. Reindeer introduced in the early 20th century have not contributed to mtDNA diversity in Newfoundland caribou. The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author.