{"title":"Sika deer Cervus nippon out of the blue: a cryptic invasion in Italy","authors":"","doi":"10.1007/s42991-023-00395-y","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<h3>Abstract</h3> <p>Hybridization between native and introduced species is one of the most important reasons underlying the impact on biodiversity exerted by biological invasions and also one of the hardest to be detected. The East-Asian sika deer <em>Cervus nippon</em> has been introduced to several European countries, where it is known to generate fertile offspring with the congeneric native red deer <em>C. elaphus</em>, threatening its local populations with genetic pollution. Most studies on hybrid populations have been carried out in northern and eastern Europe, whereas introductions of this deer and their effects are still poorly known in Southern countries. In this study, we updated the distribution of sika deer in Italy, where the species has been present since at least 25 years ago, but where no formal assessment has ever been conducted. We confirm the occurrence of sika deer genes in formerly pure red-deer populations in central Italy by means of genetic analyses. Further range expansion of invasive sika deer and red × sika deer hybrids is likely to lead to further hybridisations and introgression, with implications for the genetic integrity of native red deer populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":49888,"journal":{"name":"Mammalian Biology","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Mammalian Biology","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-023-00395-y","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ZOOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Hybridization between native and introduced species is one of the most important reasons underlying the impact on biodiversity exerted by biological invasions and also one of the hardest to be detected. The East-Asian sika deer Cervus nippon has been introduced to several European countries, where it is known to generate fertile offspring with the congeneric native red deer C. elaphus, threatening its local populations with genetic pollution. Most studies on hybrid populations have been carried out in northern and eastern Europe, whereas introductions of this deer and their effects are still poorly known in Southern countries. In this study, we updated the distribution of sika deer in Italy, where the species has been present since at least 25 years ago, but where no formal assessment has ever been conducted. We confirm the occurrence of sika deer genes in formerly pure red-deer populations in central Italy by means of genetic analyses. Further range expansion of invasive sika deer and red × sika deer hybrids is likely to lead to further hybridisations and introgression, with implications for the genetic integrity of native red deer populations.
期刊介绍：
Mammalian Biology (formerly Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde) is an international scientific journal edited by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Säugetierkunde (German Society for Mammalian Biology). The journal is devoted to the publication of research on mammals. Its scope covers all aspects of mammalian biology, such as anatomy, morphology, palaeontology, taxonomy, systematics, molecular biology, physiology, neurobiology, ethology, genetics, reproduction, development, evolutionary biology, domestication, ecology, wildlife biology and diseases, conservation biology, and the biology of zoo mammals.
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