| Abstract: | The Apennine chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata) is a highly endangered mountain ungulate. About 800 individuals still survive in central Apennines, Italy. Current conservation projects involve genetic identification of single animals, paternity tests, and assessment of relatedness. A suite of 60 microsatellite primer pairs from domestic bovids and cervids revealed polymorphisms for 10 loci, providing evidence for a low level of genetic variability, which might be a consequence of severe population bottlenecks and prolonged permanence at low numbers. |
