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Article Reference The 10,000-year biocultural history of fallow deer and its implications for conservation policy
Over the last 10,000 y, humans have manipulated fallow deer populations with varying outcomes. Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) are now endangered. European fallow deer (Dama dama) are globally widespread and are simultaneously considered wild, domestic, endangered, invasive and are even the national animal of Barbuda and Antigua. Despite their close association with people, there is no consensus regarding their natural ranges or the timing and circumstances of their human-mediated translocations and extirpations. Our mitochondrial analyses of modern and archaeological specimens revealed two distinct clades of European fallow deer present in Anatolia and the Balkans. Zooarchaeological evidence suggests these regions were their sole glacial refugia. By combining biomolecular analyses with archaeological and textual evidence, we chart the declining distribution of Persian fallow deer and demonstrate that humans repeatedly translocated European fallow deer, sourced from the most geographically distant populations. Deer taken to Neolithic Chios and Rhodes derived not from nearby Anatolia, but from the Balkans. Though fallow deer were translocated throughout the Mediterranean as part of their association with the Greco-Roman goddesses Artemis and Diana, deer taken to Roman Mallorca were not locally available Dama dama, but Dama mesopotamica. Romans also initially introduced fallow deer to Northern Europe but the species became extinct and was reintroduced in the medieval period, this time from Anatolia. European colonial powers then transported deer populations across the globe. The biocultural histories of fallow deer challenge preconceptions about the divisions between wild and domestic species and provide information that should underpin modern management strategies.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Ancient and modern DNA track temporal and spatial population dynamics in the European fallow deer since the Eeemian interglacial
Anthropogenic factors have impacted the diversity and evolutionary trajectory of various species. This can be through factors such as pressure on population size or range, habitat fragmentation, or extensive manipulation and translocation. Here we use time-calibrated data to better understand the pattern and processes of evolution in the heavily manipulated European fallow deer (Dama dama). During the Pleistocene, fallow deer had a broad distribution across Europe and were found as far north as Britain during the Eemian interglacial. The last glacial period saw fallow deer retreat to southern refugia and they did not disperse north afterwards. Their recolonisation was mediated by people and, from northern Europe and the British Isles, fallow deer were transported around the world. We use ancient and modern mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and mitogenomic data from Eemian Britain to assess the pattern of change in distribution and lineage structure across Europe over time. We find founder effects and mixed lineages in the northern populations, and stability over time for populations in southern Europe. The Eemian sample was most similar to a lineage currently in Italy, suggesting an early establishment of the relevant refuge. We consider the implications for the integration of anthropogenic and natural processes towards a better understanding of the evolution of fallow deer in Europe.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference DNA taxonomy reveals high species diversity among the stygobiont genus Metastenasellus (Crustacea, Isopoda) in African groundwater
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Review of the lanternfly genus Pyrops of Thailand (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae) with notes and keys to species
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Sixteen issid planthopper species in one day in Dong Son-Ky Thuong Nature Reserve in North Vietnam: Eight new species, one new genus and additional new records (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Issidae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Pilsbrylia, a dextral-shelled door snail from South America (Gastropoda, Clausiliidae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference State of knowledge of aquatic ecosystem and fisheries of the Lake Edward System, East Africa
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Inproceedings Reference A pragmatic at-sea solution to comply with the multisource multibeam backscatter conundrum
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Techreport Reference Kennisrapport Zeespiegel Vlaanderen ‘anno 2022’.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Techreport Reference Annual Report TURBEAMS. Contract Nr. B2/RV/21/Turbeams. Specific Call RV Belgica, Belspo
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023