Genetic differentiation in populations of red deer, Cervus elaphus, in Denmark.

ABSTRACT

Samples from 282 specimens of red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) representing eleven localities, were collected during two hunting seasons, 1986-87 and 1987-88. Four polymorphic isozymes are investigated, and allelic distributions among the populations within an area or among areas are heterogeneous. The differentiation among the populations may be explained as a result of random genetic drift. A dendrogram reveals that seven of the nine populations from the peninsula of Jutland are closely related.