Hundertmark, K.J., Bowyer, R.T., Shields, G.F., Schwartz, C.C. & Smith, M.H. 2006: Colonization history and taxonomy of moose Alces alces in southeastern Alaska inferred form mtDNA variation. - Wildl. Biol. 12: 331-338.
We assessed phylogeographic history of moose Alces alces in southeastern Alaska, USA, by determining their genetic affinity to surrounding populations thereby clarifying their origin and uncertain taxonomic status. Moose from central and southern regions of the southeastern Alaska panhandle were characterized by two mitochondrial haplotypes that were highly divergent from those in the remainder of the state; overlap with other haplotypes occurred only in the northernmost area of the panhandle. Moose inhabiting areas of British Columbia, Canada, immediately adjacent to Alaska’s panhandle showed high haplotype diversity. A small proportion of those moose shared haplotypes with moose in southeastern and interior Alaska, but most possessed haplotypes that were restricted to that region. Association between geographic distribution and phylogenetic structure of haplotypes indicated spatial separation of moose lineages in the past. Our results indicate that there were two separate entries of moose into the region during colonization, likely from different geographic areas. Coastal populations of moose living south of 58°45'N latitude in southeastern Alaska should be classified as A. a. andersoni rather than as A. a. gigas. Behavioural and morphological differences between A. a. gigas and other forest-dwelling subspecies in North America indicate a need to examine moose management strategies and objectives in southeastern Alaska.
Key words: Alaska, British Columbia, Cordilleran ice sheet, moose, phylogeography, range expansion
Kris J. Hundertmark*, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Kenai Moose Research Center, Soldotna, AK, USA 99669, and Institute of Arctic Biology and Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA - e-mail: ffkh@uaf.edu
R. Terry Bowyer** & Gerald F. Shields***, Institute of Arctic Biology and Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA - e-mail addresses: bowyterr@isu.edu (R. Terry Bowyer); gshields@carroll.edu (Gerald F. Shields) Charles C. Schwartz
#, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Kenai Moose Research Center, Soldotna, AK 99669, USA - e-mail: chuck_schwartz@usgs.gov#Forestry Sciences Laboratory, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
Corresponding author: Kris J. Hundertmark
Received 7 November 2003, accepted 29 March 2005
Associate Editor: John P. Ball
Michael H. Smith, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, SC 29802, USA,and Department of Genetics, School of Forest Resources, and Institute of Ecology,University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA - e-mail: smith@srel.edu
Present addresses:
*Institute of Arctic Biology and Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
**Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209, USA
***Department of Natural Sciences, Carroll College, Helena, MT 59601, USA