Microsatellites in reindeer, Rangifer tarandus, and their use in other cervids

Reindeer and caribou (Rangifer tarandus) are distributed throughout the northern part of the Holarctic region. The species are separated into numerous different populations and subspecies and exist both as semidomestic and wild animals. The amount of differentiation and the evolution of the different populations are, however, unknown and open to speculation.