Randy:

Since there are far more matrilines in today's feral
population than in the managed population, (to me) this very strongly
suggests that the ferals are existing *despite* the managed population.

You nudged my brain and I recalled a conversation over breakfast with Debbie Delaney. So I went back to her thesis and read:

significant differences were found in the genotypic and allelic
composition between the 1980-1992 feral populations sampled and the managed breeding
populations. Together, these findings suggest that barriers to gene flow existed between
feral populations and both managed breeding populations and may continue to this day.

We talked about what sorts of barriers might prevent these populations from interbreeding, recalling Jamie Strange's work in France where he discovered that populations could be kept separate by having different mating behaviors (time of day, season, preferences, etc.). 

So, it isn't just geography that can produce and maintain reproductive isolation. Thanks for continuing the conversation, it's pretty interesting stuff.

P

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