Late Quaternary loss of genetic diversity in muskox (Ovibos).

ABSTRACT:

Background

The modern wildherd of the tundra muskox (Ovibos moschatus) is native only to the New World (northern North America and Greenland), and its genetic diversity is notably low. However, like several other megafaunal mammals, muskoxen enjoyed a holarctic distribution during the late Pleistocene. To investigate whether collapse in range and loss of diversity might be correlated, we collected mitochondrial sequence data (hypervariable region and cytochrome b) from muskox fossil material recovered from localities in northeastern Asia and the Arctic Archipelago of northern North America, dating from late Pleistocene to late Holocene, and compared our results to existing databases for modern muskoxen.

Results

Two classes of haplotypes were detected in the fossil material.

SUBMITTER: MacPhee RD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1266356 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature