Polyphyletic origin of the small-bodied, high-arctic subspecies of tundra reindeer (Rangifer tarandus).

In order to investigate the origin of the three small-bodied, high-arctic subspecies of reindeer, Rangifer tarandus pearyi (the Canadian Archipelago), R. t. eogroenlandicus (East Greenland, extinct since 1900 AD), and R. t. platyrhynchus (Svalbard), samples were collected at nine localities from all six of the currently recognized subspecies of the tundra reindeer. A 203-bp-long fragment of the mitochondrial control region was sequenced from 113 reindeer (Rangifer tarandus). The now extinct subspecies R. t. eogroenlandicus was for the first time included in a molecular study; DNA was extracted from four museum specimens (skins and bones) and successfully sequenced. A polyphyletic origin for the three subspecies of small-bodied, high-arctic reindeer is suggested, with R. t. pearyi and R. t. eogroenlandicus being closely related and probably having evolved in high-arctic North America and R. t. platyrhynchus from Svalbard having evolved from Eurasian large-bodied reindeer. The small-bodied, high-arctic reindeer presumably represent ecotypes that have evolved convergently in similar high-arctic environments. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.