Lack of biochemical polymorphism in British fallow deer

Abstract

Seven-hundred and ninety-four samples of fallow deer (Dama dama L.) blood or tissue were collected from 37 sites in England and Wales. A selection of these samples was screened for electrophoretic variation at each of 30 loci (minimum of 88 samples per locus). No genetic variation was found. Possible explanations for the lack of polymorphism are discussed. It is suggested that European fallow deer experienced a genetic bottleneck during a period of captivity in Mesolithic or Neolithic times.