Transferrin variation and body size in reindeer, Rangifer tarandus L.

R øed , K. H. 1987. Transfenin variation and body size in reindeer. Rangifer tarandus L. ‐ Hereditas 106: 67–71. Lund, Sweden. ISSN 0018–0661. Received March 10, 1986 Associations between transferrin variation and individual weight of reindeer calves and yearlings sampled in two subsequent years were investigated. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to analyse the transferrin variation. Animals heterozygous or homozygous at the transferrin locus did not show any significant differences in individual dressed weight. The most common allele, Tf ET , was positively associated with high weight among male calves but not among yearlings. The second most common allele, Tf EJ , was positively associated with high weight among male yearlings but not among calves. This indicates that different transferrin alleles in reindeer have different selective advantages over time, which suggests that balancing selection is important in maintaining transferrin variation in reindeer.