Development of a Novel Mule Deer Genomic Assembly and Species-Diagnostic SNP Panel for Assessing Introgression in Mule Deer, White-Tailed Deer, and Their Interspecific Hybrids.

ABSTRACT: Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are endemic to a wide variety of habitats in western North America, many of which are shared in sympatry with their closely related sister-species white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), whom they hybridize with in wild populations. Although mule deer meet many ideal conditions for a molecular ecological research species, such as high abundance, ecological importance, and broad dispersal and gene flow, conservation genetic studies have been limited by a relative lack of existing genomic resources and inherent difficulties caused by introgression with white-tailed deer. Many molecular tools currently available for the study of cervids were designed using reference assemblies of divergent model species, specifically cattle (Bos taurus)

SUBMITTER: Russell T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6404596 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature