Researchers from Framingham State University, the Linda Loring Nature Foundation, and Eastern Connecticut State University announced that they have published an article investigating the origins of the Nantucket deer population. This research supports the hypothesis that only a handful of deer are responsible for the large population now on island.
The article will appear in the journal Northeastern Naturalist later this year but is
currently available early online. Nantucket is currently home to more than 3,000 white tailed deer. However, deer were absent from the island at the beginning of the 20th century. Local Nantucket lore held that the current deer population originated from just three deer; one male that was found swimming in Nantucket Sound and two females brought over from Michigan in the early 1920’s. New research published in the journal Northeastern Naturalist supports this general idea, with a few additions.
Led by Dr. Rick Beckwitt from Framingham State University, the research used genetic material from deer fecal samples and muscle tissue focusing on the mitochondrial DNA. Mitochondrial DNA sequences are inherited from mother to daughter in the female lineage without combination with the paternal genetics. Therefore, for the old Nantucket story to be true, the deer population should only have two major mitochondrial types all inherited from the two original female deer imported from Michigan. For this study, deer from Nantucket, mainland New England, and Michigan were sampled.
Analysis from the Nantucket samples resulted in three distinct sequences, two of which were the most common. Those common haplotypes (or sequences) were identical or nearly identical to those from Michigan. Results indicate that most deer on Nantucket did originate from 2 founding females from Michigan, and a small percentage are descended from later introductions from mainland New England.
This work was part of a “Research Experience in Biology” class at Framingham State. Dr. Beckwitt used the Nantucket deer origin story as motivation for his undergraduate students to learn genetic techniques to investigate real questions. Combining history and Nantucket lore with scientific research has shown that there is truth in the local lore.
“This has been a great project to be a part of. Combining history, wildlife ecology, and genetics to tell the story of our Nantucket deer is interesting enough. Supporting undergraduate students in research and learning new skills in a real-world situation is a big motivator for this type of work,” Dr. Sarah Bois of the Linda Loring Nature Foundation.
The research ultimately shows evidence for the founder effect on island; reduced genetic diversity resulting when a population is descended from a small number of colonizing ancestors. This information can be useful for wildlife management.
To read the abstract check out Northeastern Naturalist. For more information or a copy of the full paper contact Dr. Sarah Bois: stbois@llnf.org or Dr. Rick Beckwitt: rbeckwitt@framingham.edu