Abstract
This study is dedicated to the study of the genetics of saiga antelope, a species of antelope whose populations have experienced repeated critical declines in the past. The aim of our work was to identify genetic differences between individual saigas, which is extremely important for the survival of the species and its ability to adapt.This study employs a combined k-mer based comparative genomics and mitochondrial genome analysis to investigate genetic variation in S.t. tatarica. Whole genome sequencing data were used to assess genomic diversity, revealing significant variationbetween samples, with 25.55-28.49% of k-mers being sample-specific. Mitochondrial genome sequencing provided 100% coverage for all samples and identified 532 variants. The variants were predominantly "Upstream gene" (47.7%) and synonymous variants (40.2%), with a smaller proportion of "Missense" variants (11.5%) and rare "Stop gained" and "Stop lost" variants, with a total frequency of 0.6%. The distribution of variants was not uniform across samples: three samples showed significantly more variants (101 each) compared to the sample with the lowest number (18). The distribution of variants across genes and their functional impact classification provides a comprehensive overview of the genetic variations present in the mitochondrial genome of S. tatarica.Wefound that, despite population declines, saigas retained a moderate level of genetic diversity in both their nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. This is supported by the presence of unique genetic markers in each individual and variations in mitochondrial DNA. These results are significant because they 201demonstrate the species' potential for recovery and highlight the need to develop targeted conservation strategies