Matrilineal Genetic Structure of the Brown Bear Population in Finland

April 1, 2007
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We analyzed phylogenetic relationships of brown bear (Ursus arctos) maternal lineages in Finland using nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial control region of 135 individuals. A total of 14 haplotypes, which belong to 2 haplogroups, were characterized. Haplogroup I is spread across the entire bear range, whereas haplogroup D is restricted to the southeastern part of the country. Most unconventional was the concentration of haplotype C in a small territory in central Finland, which is explained by the natal philopatry of bears that descended from one or more translocated females. Analysis of Finnish brown bear haplotypes together with 15 European eastern lineage haplotypes revealed that the Romanian-Slovakian region was probably an important refuge (or route) for recolonization of Finland by brown bears after the last ice age.

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