Comparatively high genetic connectivity of red deer management units in Saxony-Anhalt within a standardized supraregional framework

Abstract

Maintaining genetic connectivity is a central requirement for the long-term persistence of wide-ranging wildlife populations in increasingly human-modified landscapes. Population genetic approaches provide valuable tools for evaluating connectivity patterns and identifying early signs of genetic isolation. However, robust supraregional comparisons are often limited by differences in sampling design, marker systems, and analytical frameworks among studies. Here, we present the first comprehensive population-genetic assessment of red deer ( Cervus elaphus ) in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, embedded within a standardized supraregional framework. We analysed multilocus microsatellite data from 698 individuals sampled across 14 management units and integrated these data with previously published datasets from Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia, resulting in a comparative dataset comprising 3,188 genotyped individuals analysed using identical approaches. Across Saxony-Anhalt, red deer management units exhibited comparatively high levels of genetic connectivity and diversity relative to the more densely populated neighbouring federal states. Expected heterozygosity and allelic richness exceeded corresponding values observed in Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia, while genetic clustering analyses consistently identified three major genetic clusters representing functional metapopulation complexes with substantial internal gene flow. At the same time, some peripheral AMUs, particularly Ziegelrodaer Forst and Duebener Heide, exhibited reduced connectivity, elevated differentiation, and demographic characteristics consistent with increasing functional isolation. Isolation-by-distance analyses further indicated that geographic distance alone did not fully account for the observed patterns of genetic differentiation among AMUs. Overall, the study demonstrates the value of standardized supraregional population-genetic frameworks for evaluating genetic connectivity across anthropogenically differentiated regions. The comparatively high connectivity observed in Saxony-Anhalt highlights the importance of maintaining existing exchange processes before local isolation results in substantial long-term genetic erosion.

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