A genotyping‐in‐thousands by sequencing panel to inform invasive deer management using noninvasive fecal and hair samples

A high-success genotyping panel using noninvasive fecal and hair samples was developed to inform invasive Sitka black-tailed deer management on Haida Gwaii, Canada. The Genotyping-in-Thousands by sequencing (GT-seq) approach achieved 90.3% genotyping success across 244 loci, nearly matching the performance of tissue samples (92.4%). With only a 0.50% discordance rate between paired noninvasive and tissue samples, this method enables reliable individual identification, sex determination, and kinship reconstruction—critical for population management. The study demonstrates a proof-of-concept application on SGang Gwaay, a culturally significant island, showcasing the panel's potential to advance invasive species control while offering a scalable, quality-controlled workflow adaptable to other noninvasive genetic studies.

Burgess, B. T., Irvine, R. L., & Russello, M. A. (2022). A genotyping‐in‐thousands by sequencing panel to inform invasive deer management using noninvasive fecal and hair samples. Ecology and Evolution, 12(6). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8993