A historic religious sanctuary may have preserved ancestral genetics of Japanese sika deer (Cervus nippon)

Deer have been a major resource for human populations for thousands of years. Anthropogenic activities, such as hunting, have influenced the genetic structure and distribution of deer populations. In Japan, wild Japanese sika deer (Cervus nippon) have been hunted since ancient times but have also been historically protected as sacred animals in several sanctuaries. Sika deer have been protected for over a thousand years in the religious sanctuary around the Kasuga Taisha Shrine on the Kii Peninsula, located in the center of Japan. Here, we used short sequence repeats (SSR) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to investigate the genetic diversity, population structure, and demography of Japanese sika deer inhabiting the Kii Peninsula, Japan, and discuss possible anthropogenic influences. Using SSR, three distinct genetic groups were distinguished on the Kii Peninsula: an Eastern genetic group, a Western genetic group, and an isolated genetic group with individuals in the religious sanctuary of Kasuga Taisha Shrine in Nara city. The isolated genetic sanctuary group had only the mtDNA haplotype S4. The SSR genotype data suggested a newer divergence time of the genetic groups of the religious sanctuary than would have occurred as a result of Late Quaternary climate change. This time scale coincided with the establishment of the sanctuary with Kasuga Taisha Shrine. Thus, the religious protection conserved genetic variation over a thousand years.