Low genetic diversity is becoming a serious concern over the survival of the scarce Persian fallow deer on Ashk Island in Urmia Lake, West Azarbaijan Province, the director of wildlife office at the provincial Department of Environment said.
"Inevitable inbreeding among the limited number of deer on Ashk Island, has decreased genetic variability among the species, making way for physiological weakness and vulnerability to disease," IRNA quoted Omid Yousefi as saying.
Genetic diversity, which is defined as the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species, serves as a way for populations to adapt to changing environments.
According to Science Daily website, with more variation, it is more likely that some individuals in a population will possess variations of alleles that are suited for the environment. Those individuals are more likely to survive to produce offspring bearing that allele. Hence, the population will continue for more generations because of the success of these individuals.
Low genetic diversity, on the other hand, means that the species is less able to survive changes to its environment such as global warming, or competing for habitat with humans. "The phenomenon decreases the animals' resistance in the face of extreme climatic conditions such as frost, or diseases. This is considered a serious risk factor to the animals' survival," Yousefi said.
Possible Solution
As a possible way out of the problem, Yousefi proposed that it might be possible to transfer several individuals from Dasht-e-Naz Wildlife Refuge in Sari, Mazandaran Province, to decrease the genetic homogeneity.
Yousefi further suggested establishing a quarantine center in Ashk Island to divide the healthy animals from those that tend to catch contagious diseases.
Based on the latest census, the 2,500-hectare Ask Island was home to 170 Persian fallow deer in 2015.
"Unfortunately the population has shrunk thanks to the fall in Urmia's water level that has linked the emerging islands of the lake, allowing access to natural predators like foxes and jackals to catch the rare species inside their habitats," the official said.
Also known as Mesopotamian fallow deer, the rare animal has been listed as an endangered species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List since 1986. Up until the 1940s, the animal was thought to be extinct.
Native to Iran, the Persian Fallow deer can be found in Dasht-e-Naz Wildlife Refuge and Semeskandeh Wildlife Refuge in Northern Iran, Fars's Miankotal enclosure in the Arzhan and Parishan protected zones, as well as Ashk and Kaboudan Islands in Urmia Lake.
