Exploring the phylogeography and population dynamics of the giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus) using Late Quaternary mitogenomes.

ABSTRACT: Late Quaternary climatic fluctuations in the Northern Hemisphere had drastic effects on large mammal species, leading to the extinction of a substantial number of them. The giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus) was one of the species that became extinct in the Holocene, around 7660 calendar years before present. In the Late Pleistocene, the species ranged from western Europe to central Asia. However, during the Holocene, its range contracted to eastern Europe and western Siberia, where the last populations of the species occurred. Here, we generated 35 Late Pleistocene and Holocene giant deer mitogenomes to explore the genetics of the demise of this iconic species. Bayesian phylogenetic analyses of the mitogenomes suggested five main clades for the species: three pre-Last Glacial Maxim

SUBMITTER: Rey-Iglesia A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8114472 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature