Genetic identification of the origin of introduced deer on Kikai-jima Island

Abstract

An introduced population of sika deer Cervus nippon has become established on Kikai-jima Island, Japan. It originated from 15 individuals introduced around 2002. To clarify the origin of the deer, we sequenced mitochondrial DNA using fecal and muscle samples collected on Kikai-jima Island. Nineteen haplotypes, including those from previous data, were determined with 998 bp sequences of the control region of mitochondrial DNA. The haplotype from Kikai-jima Island was identical to Hap1, which was unique to Mage-shima Island, suggesting that the introduced deer established on Kikai-jima Island likely originated from Mage-shima Island. The introduction of the sika deer to Kikai-jima Island indicates that the transfer and escape of captive deer have been repeated even in recent years. Regulations on the translocation, sale, or escape of captive deer need to be implemented. In addition, there are concerns about the impact of the introduced deer on the natural vegetation of the Kikai-jima island. It is desired that a system will be established as soon as possible to implement sufficient trapping efforts.