Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy 
affecting North American cervids. Because it is uniformly fatal, the disease is 
a major concern in the management of white-tailed deer populations. Management 
programs to control CWD require improved knowledge of deer interaction, 
movement, and population connectivity that could influence disease transmission 
and spread. Genetic methods were employed to evaluate connectivity among 
populations in the CWD management zone of southern Wisconsin. A 576-base-pair 
region of the mitochondrial DNA of 359 white-tailed deer from 12 sample 
populations was analyzed. Fifty-eight variable sites were detected within the 
sequence, defining 43 haplotypes. While most sample populations displayed 
similar levels of haplotype diversity, individual haplotypes were clustered on 
the landscape. Spatial clusters of different haplotypes were apparent in 
distinct ecoregions surrounding CWD outbreak areas. The spatial distribution of 
mtDNA haplotypes suggests that clustering of the deer matrilineal groups and 
population connectivity are associated with broad-scale geographic landscape 
features. These landscape characteristics may also influence the contact rates 
between groups and therefore the potential spread of CWD; this may be especially 
true of local disease spread between female social groups. Our results suggest 
that optimal CWD management needs to be tailored to fit gender-specific 
dispersal behaviors and regional differences in deer population connectivity. 
This information will help wildlife managers design surveillance and monitoring 
efforts based on population interactions and potential deer movement among 
CWD-affected and unaffected areas.