Genetic Variations Revealed by Microsatellite Markers ina Small Population of the Sika Deer (Cervus nippon)on Kinkazan Island, Northern Japan

Genetic variations within a population of the Japanese sika deer, Cervus nippon, on Kinkazan Island were studied by microsatellite analysis. Seventeen pairs of polymerase chain reaction primers designed for several species of ungulates successfully amplified polymorphic microsatellite DNA in sika deer. About 20% of the Kinkazan population was sampled and genotyped for nine diagnostic microsatellite loci. Alleles at those loci in the Kinkazan population were found to be under the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. To determine whether the Kinkazan deer have a reduced level of genetic variability, an average heterozygosity in the population was calculated and compared with the values determined for other populations from Hyogo, Yamaguchi, Shimane, Tsushima, and Nagasaki. Neither the observed nor the expected heterozygosity in the Kinkazan deer significantly differed from that in the other populations. Our result indicated that, despite its small population size, the Kinkazan deer preserve extensive microsatellite variations.