120,000-year-old European fallow deer—tracing the loss of genetic diversity

European fallow deer have faced a dramatic loss of genetic diversity since the last interglacial period.

This was revealed by 120,000-year-old fossils from central Germany's Neumark-Nord site in Saxony-Anhalt, analyzed by researchers from the University of Potsdam, the MONREPOS Research Center and Museum in Neuwied, and Leiden University.

Their results have been published in the journal iScience.

Modern fallow deer thus represent just a fraction of their Ice Age ancestors' variety.

The study highlights how climate and human actions substantially reshaped a once-diverse species and may help inform conservation action. ...