Phylogenetic status of North American wapiti( Cervus elaphus) subspecies

Abstract

By the turn of the century, North American elk, or wapiti (Cervus elaphus), had been extirpated from all regions ofthe continent and two subspecies were extinct. The recovery of wapiti is largely a response to the large number of relocatedRocky Mountain (C. e. nelsoni) and Manitoban wapiti (C. e. manitobensis). A phylogenetic study was performed to determinethe present genetic relationships among tule (C. e. nannodes), Roosevelt (C. e. roosevelti), Rocky Mountain, and Manitobansubspecies, using sequences from the D-loop region of the mitochondrial DNA of 28 individuals. All Roosevelt wapiti weregrouped together, as were tule wapiti, which supports the classification of tule and Roosevelt subspecies. Yellowstone, ElkIsland, and Riding Mountain National Parks have not introduced wapiti into their indigenous populations. When thesepopulations were used, Manitoban wapiti were found to be monophyletic and Rocky Mountain wapiti to be paraphyletic.However, including animals from the Canadian Rocky Mountains places Rocky Mountain wapiti in clades by themselves orgrouped with Manitoban wapiti. The clade containing a mixture of Manitoban and Rocky Mountain wapiti suggests that bothtypes recently descended from a common ancestor. Hybridization or insufficient time for separation may explain the presenceof the two types in the same clade.