Microsatellite loci isolation in the Canarian common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) and their utility in other Canarian finches

The taxonomic classification of the common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) that inhabits the Canary Islands has been under debate for decades, mainly due to the absence of nuclear DNA analyses. In this study we describe the isolation and characterization of ten microsatellite loci (AAAG, AAAT and GT) from a La Palma specimen using an enrichment protocol. Two loci were monomorphic in the populations analysed (La Gomera and La Palma), but the remaining ones presented 2 or more alleles, with an average of 11.63 alleles per locus and an average observed heterozygosity of 0.735 (n = 44). All loci were tested for their utility in other Canarian populations and other finch species.     

Chromosome studies in some British and Irish bryophytes,II

Abstract

Grimmia curviseta, a new species from Tenerife (Spain, Canary Islands) is characterized by autoecious gametoecia, the upper and perichaetial leaves with long hyaline denticulate hair-point, the leaves unistratose with bistratose margins and the nearly always gymnostomous capsule on an arcuate seta.     

Microsatellite markers for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Juglans cinerea</Emphasis> L. and their utility in other Juglandaceae species

Ten polymorphic microsatellite markers were found to amplify in butternut (Juglans cinerea; Juglandaceae). These microsatellite loci were found to amplify across most of nine other species and five hybrids examined. Loci were highly polymorphic, with 18 to 32 alleles per locus across species. These nuclear microsatellite markers will be useful in examining genetic diversity within and among populations of butternut, and in distinguishing butternut from interspecific hybrids.     

Isolation and characterization of 10 new compound microsatellite markers for a mangrove tree species,Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh. (Avicenniaceae)

Avicennia marina is an ecologically important mangrove tree species. We isolated 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci from this species using an improved technique. Our isolated loci provided compound microsatellite markers with polymorphism of two to six alleles per locus. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.025 to 0.625 and from 0.096 to 0.767, respectively. These markers would be the useful tools for researching on the genetic diversity and population genetic structure of A. marina.     

Novel polymorphic microsatellite DNA markers from Malaysian giant freshwater prawn, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Macrobrachium rosenbergii</Emphasis>

Seven single locus microsatellite markers were characterized in Malaysian giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii from an enriched genomic library Primer pairs were designed to flank the repeat sequences and the loci characterized for this species. The bands resulting from the PCR amplifications of these eight microsatellite loci were polymorphic with the number of alleles ranging from 8 to 26 alleles per locus, whereas the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.0641 to 0.6564. These newly developed microsatellite markers should prove to be useful for population studies and in the management of genetic variations in broodstocks of freshwater prawn, M. rosenbergii.     

Development of microsatellite markers in a mangrove tree species Aegiceras corniculatum (Myrsinaceae)

Aegiceras corniculatum is an ecologically important mangrove tree species. We isolated 18 polymorphic microsatellite loci from this species. These loci provided microsatellite markers with polymorphism of two to eight alleles per locus. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.050 to 0.550, and from 0.097 to 0.736, respectively. These markers will contribute to research on the conservation, genetic diversity and mating patterns of A. corniculatum.     

Polymorphic microsatellite DNA markers in the endangered land snail,Trichia caelata (Gastropoda,Stylommatophora)

Eight novel polymorphic microsatellite loci are presented for the endangered land snail Trichia caelata, a rare species endemic to the Northwestern Jura mountains, Switzerland. The number of alleles per locus ranged from six to 17. At seven loci, the expected heterozygosity differed significantly from observed heterozygosity. No evidence for linkage disequilibrium was detected between locus pairs. We are currently using these markers to investigate the genetic population structure of T. caelata in its restricted distribution area.     

Characterization of 22 microsatellites loci from the endangered Houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata undulata)

Here we present a new set of 22 microsatellite loci isolated from Chlamydotis undulata undulata, an endangered Houbara bustard found across North Africa. The number of alleles per locus ranged from one to nine, and heterozygosities ranged from 0.167 to 0.944. Total exclusionary probabilities using these loci for the first and the second parent were 0.992932 and 0.999915, respectively. Successful cross‐amplification was observed in eight other Otididae species (12–22 of the 22 loci). These microsatellite markers are powerful tools for genetic identification, paternity assignment and population genetic studies.     

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in the Brazilian orchid <Emphasis Type="Italic">Epidendrum fulgens</Emphasis>

Epidendrum fulgens has a patchy distribution along the Atlantic Rainforest in the Brazilian coast, due to the destruction of its native habitat. Here, we report on both the development of nine new microsatellite markers isolated from this species and the characterization of their allele variability in two distant and unrelated populations. The number of alleles observed for each locus ranged from 2 to 17 with an average of 6.4 alleles per locus. These microsatellites should be valuable tools for studying the effect of habitat fragmentation on the genetic structure of E. fulgens populations.     

Isolation and characterization of five dinucleotide microsatellite loci in the sandbar shark,Carcharhinus plumbeus

Five dinucleotide markers were isolated and optimized from a microsatellite‐enriched genomic library obtained from the sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus. Genotypic distributions of all markers were found to be in conformance with the expectations of Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium with four to 39 alleles present per locus. We amplified these loci in two female sharks and their litters. A maternal allele was recovered at each locus in all progeny indicating reliable amplification. More than two paternal alleles were recovered across both litters indicating genetic polyandry. Additionally, these markers were amplified across 10 carcharhiniform species to examine their utility in other studies.     

A set of microsatellite markers for use in the endangered sea urchin <Emphasis Type="Italic">Strongylocentrotus nudus</Emphasis> developed from <Emphasis Type="Italic">S. purpuratus</Emphasis> ESTs

The first set of nine microsatellite markers for the endangered sea urchin Strongylocentrotus nudus was developed from EST databases of S. purpuratus. Number of alleles per locus ranged from two to thirteen. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.000 to 0.645 and from 0.063 to 0.912, respectively. These informative microsatellite markers will be useful in studies of population genetic structure for this species.     

Isolation and development of microsatellite markers for the Japanese dormouse, Glirulus japonicus

Eight microsatellite markers were developed for the Japanese dormouse (Glirulus japonicus), a natural monument and near‐threatened species in Japan. The markers amplify in individuals from all of the mitochondrial lineages detected in a previous study. Numerous polymorphisms were detected in specimens from a local population in central Honshu (11–21 alleles per locus; n = 31) and from the entire distribution range of the species (19–41 alleles per locus; n = 152). These microsatellites will be useful in conservation genetic studies of G. japonicus.     

Microsatellite loci in the stable fly,Stomoxys niger niger (Diptera: Muscidae) on La Réunion Island

Six polymorphic microsatellite markers have been isolated from a microsatellite‐enriched DNA library from the stable fly, Stomoxys niger niger. These loci exhibited five to 10 alleles per locus and an expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.57 to 0.81 in the studied populations from La Réunion Island (Indian Ocean). They should therefore be useful for the study of genetic diversity and population structure of S. niger. In addition, cross‐species amplification of four of these six loci in the closely allied species Stomoxys calcitrans produced interpretable results, two of which would be useful for population biology studies.     

Microsatellite DNA markers for the Stable Fly,Stomoxys calcitrans (Diptera: Muscidae)

Eight polymorphic microsatellite markers have been isolated from a microsatellite‐enriched DNA library from the Stable Fly, Stomoxys calcitrans. These loci exhibited four to 15 alleles per locus and an expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.19 to 0.84 in the three populations studied from La Réunion island (Indian Ocean). They should therefore be valuable for studying genetic diversity and population structure. Cross‐species amplification of these eight loci in the closely allied species Stomoxys niger niger was successful for four of these loci, one of which was monomorphic and one of which strongly departed from Hardy–Weinberg expectations.     

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers for Primulina tabacum, a critically endangered perennial herb

Primulina tabacum is a rare and endangered perennial herb with highly restricted limestone distribution in southern China. To enrich our scientific conservation for this species, we developed ten microsatellite markers using repetitive DNA enriched libraries. The number of alleles per microsatellite locus varied from two to six. The expected (H _E) and observed (H _O) heterozygosities varied from 0.4059 to 0.7294 and from 0.1364 to 0.5217, respectively. These markers will be employed in future studies of genetic structure in P. tabacum.     

Polymorphic microsatellite DNA markers for the ark shell Scapharca subcrenata (bivalve: Arcidae)

We have isolated and characterized twelve novel polymorphic microsatellite loci from Scapharca subcrenata to analyse the population structure. The number of observed alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 17. Observed heterozygosity (H _O) ranged from 0.321 to 0.929. Cross-species amplification was tested successfully in three other bivalve species. These microsatellite markers will be useful for genetic diversity studies of S. subcrenata and other Lamellibranchia species.     

Characterization of microsatellite loci in white pine weevil (Pissodes strobi)

Microsatellites are codominant and highly polymorphic genetic markers. They are widely used in studying parentage and reproductive success in many insect species. We developed six microsatellite markers in Pissodes storbi. The number of alleles per locus ranges from 5 to 16 alleles, with a mean number of 10. The high allelic diversity observed in this study showed that they could be useful in the study of parentage and reproductive success in P. strobi.     

Eleven novel microsatellite markers developed from the living fossil Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgoaceae)

Ginkgo biloba L. (Ginkgoaceae), a famous and widely cultivated plant, is often referred to as a living fossil. Here we isolated and characterized 11 polymorphic microsatellite loci from G. biloba using a modified biotin-capture method. These loci showed high levels of allelic diversity, alleles sizes ranged from 4 to 16 per locus with polymorphism information content ranging from 0.432 to 0.909 (average = 0.752). The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.208 to 0.708 (average = 0.484) and from 0.501 to 0.934 (average = 0.795), respectively. These microsatellite markers can be used as genetic markers for further studies on genetic diversity, genetic structure and the gene flow among populations of this species.     

Eleven novel polymorphic microsatellite DNA markers from the green-lipped mussel, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Perna viridis</Emphasis>

We report on the characterization of 11 polymorphic microsatellite loci in P. viridis, the first set of such markers developed and characterized for this species. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 7, whereas the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.0447 to 0.4837. These markers should prove useful as powerful genetic markers for this species. This article was submitted by the authors in English.     

Development of new polymorphic microsatellite markers for the New World screw‐worm Cochliomyia hominivorax (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

In this report, we describe the development of seven new polymorphic microsatellite markers for Cochliomyia hominivorax, a parasitic insect pest of primary agricultural and veterinary importance throughout the Neotropics. The number of alleles found ranged from 3 to 13 per locus, with the expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.4220 to 0.9045. The across‐taxa amplification of some of these new microsatellite loci was successful in four additional Calliphoridae species. In combination with the 10 polymorphic microsatellite markers previously described, the markers developed here should provide a high resolution for assessing the fine‐scale genetic structure of New World screw‐worms.