APPLICATION OF DNA-FINGERPRINTING TO POPULATION STUDY OF CHAMOIS (RUPICAPRA-RUPICAPRA)

Hypervariable minisatellite DNA probes 33.15 and 33.6, originally deve loped for studies in human populations, were used to study genetic var iation in chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra). The mean number of bands per individual was 25 for probe 33.15 and 15 for probe 33.6. The average b and frequency was 0.33 for both probes. The mean similarity was 0.44, greater than that reported for human and natural populations and close to values found in domestic populations of mammals. This lack of vari ability could be related to the bottleneck suffered by the population due to large-scale hunting after the Spanish Civil War. Levels of vari ability are high compared with variability at the level of protein mar kers, so the use of minisatellite DNA is recommended for future popula tion studies in this species. We did not find large genetic difference s between subpopulations, indicating that the population is geneticall y homogeneous.