EXPLORING THE GENETIC DIVERSITY AND PHYLOGENY OF FOUR NATIVE WILD DEER SPECIES OF PAKISTAN USING MITOCHONDRIAL MARKERS

Authors: Ghulam Abbas, Asif Nadeem, Masroor Ellahi Babar, Raja Danish Muner, Ali Haider Saleem, Babar Maqbool, Yanzhen Bi, Shahzad Akbar Khan, Farhan Farooq, Mujtaba Shahid
Journal: Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences (JAPS)
ISSN: 1018-7081 (Print), 2309-8694 (Online)
Volume: 36  Issue: 3  Pages: 623-641
Year: 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36899/JAPS.2026.3.0051
URL: https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.36899/JAPS.2026.3.0051
Publisher: Pakistan Agricultural Scientists Forum

Abstract:
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; margin: 12.0pt 0in 0in 0in;"><em><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Bovidae</span></em><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> and <em>Cervidae</em> are the most important families of mammals. Owing to extensive human interference, excessive use of natural resources, unregulated hunting, and other adverse environmental conditions, some of these wild species are now facing the risk of extinction. </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">Genetic variation underpins animal survival from an evolutionary perspective, which is vital for the conservation of animals, particularly endangered species that, if not protected, will soon become extinct. Therefore, the current study was planned to investigate the molecular phylogeny and genetic diversity of <em><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Bovidae (Boselaphus tragocamelus, Antilope cervicapra) </span></em><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">and <em>Cervidae (Axis axis, Axis porcinus)</em></span> families of wild deer in Pakistan using the collective effect of mitochondrial <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">cytochrome b, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (Cox1), and</span><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </em><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">D-loop</span> regions.</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">For the&nbsp;genetic diversity study, we collected blood samples from unrelated wild deer of all four species (n=100; 25 per species) in EDTA-containing vacutainers. Genomic DNA was extracted using the&nbsp;phenol-chloroform method. PCR was performed to amplify the cytochrome b, Cox1, and D-loop genes, and the PCR products were sequenced in<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"> Foster City, CA, USA. In this study, we found evidence of a significant reduction in genetic diversity among members of <em>Bovidae</em> and <em>Cervidae</em> from different regions of Pakistan. The findings of the current study revealed the genetic distinctness of the studied wild deer species and their evolutionary divergence. Moreover, </span></span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">native deer populations exhibited reduced within-population genetic variability; therefore, a viable conservation plan is needed to ensure their survival and protection under changing environmental conditions</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">.</span></p>

Keywords: Genetic diversity, Wild deer, Cytochrome b, Cox1, and D loop