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Wild–Feral Allele Sharing Was Higher in Reindeer Genomic Regions With Selection Signals

Norwegian wild reindeer in mountain habitat
Research · Genetics & genomics

Genomic data from wild, feral and semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in southern Norway showed genetic exchange between wild and feral populations, according to a study published in July 2026. The researchers analysed 50 animals from Forollhogna, Knutshø, Riast-Hylling, Rondane, Snøhetta and Hardangervidda.

Wild and feral populations shared more alleles than ancestry alone predicted

Population structure supported the documented origin of the feral Forollhogna population from neighbouring semi-domesticated reindeer in Riast-Hylling about 50 years ago. At the same time, analyses of allele sharing—genetic variants shared between populations more often than expected from their broader ancestry—found evidence consistent with hybridization between feral and wild reindeer. The authors report that gene flow was probably multidirectional, with Knutshø standing out as an area of genetic exchange.

Selection scans highlighted genes with sensory, metabolic and immune functions

To look for selection, the researchers combined genome-wide differentiation (FST), a measure of how genetically separated populations are, with scans for unusually long haplotypes—blocks of linked variants inherited together— and separately tested reindeer counterparts (orthologues) of genes previously linked to domestication in mammals. The first route yielded 41 candidate genes and the second 15; the two sets did not overlap. Among the candidates, the authors highlight an OR52A1-like olfactory receptor, the fatty-acid receptors FFAR2 and FFAR3, the immune-related gene CD22 and neuronal genes including SNCA and NDE1. These candidates point to sensory, metabolic, immune and behavioural processes, but the authors stress that their specific adaptive roles still require further study.

Candidate regions showed stronger wild–feral genetic exchange

When the researchers compared candidate regions with selection signals against local patterns of allele sharing, these regions showed consistently stronger signals of wild–feral genetic exchange than the genomic background.

The authors interpret this pattern as evidence that hybridization likely promoted adaptive introgression during feralization. Adaptive introgression is gene flow that brings variants from another population or lineage which are then favoured by selection; here, variants from wild reindeer may have contributed to adaptation after descendants of semi-domesticated animals returned to a free-ranging life. They also discuss the result in relation to conservation of the genetic integrity of Norway’s remaining wild reindeer populations.

Sources and image credit

  1. Cerca, J., Ravinet, M., Flagstad, Ø., Rolandsen, C. M., Strand, O., Tørresen, O. K., Jakobsen, K. S., & Mysterud, A. (2026). Hybridization with wild individuals fuels reindeer feralization. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 293(2075), 20261226. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2026.1226Primary open-access research article published 15 July 2026 under CC BY 4.0. The study analysed 50 reindeer from six populations in southern Norway: feral Forollhogna, semi-domesticated Riast-Hylling and wild Knutshø, Rondane, Snøhetta and Hardangervidda. Population structure supported the origin of Forollhogna from Riast-Hylling, while allele-sharing analyses showed hybridization between wild and feral lineages. Candidate genomic regions under selection had higher rates of excess allele sharing, which the authors interpret as evidence that hybridization likely promoted adaptive introgression during feralization.

Image: John Linnell / Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) / Artsdatabanken / Wikimedia Commons — Norwegian wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in mountain habitat. Representative image of wild reindeer in Norway; not one of the animals sampled in the 2026 genomics study. · CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Source

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