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Microsatellite markers for the common vole (Microtus arvalis) and their cross-species utility

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Abstract

Fragmentation of natural habitats of the common vole (Microtus arvalis) provides an excellent model system to study the consequences of restricted gene flow and small population sizes for isolated populations. Here we describe the isolation and characteristics of 10 autosomal and one X-linked microsatellite marker. These new markers were tested in 24 voles from a natural population in eastern Germany. Loci were highly polymorphic with numbers of alleles per locus ranging from three to 26 and expected heterozygosities from 0.51 to 0.97. All loci except for the X-linked locus Mar105 followed Hardy–Weinberg expectations. Cross-species amplifications revealed that most loci were polymorphic as well in M. agrestis, M. thomasi, and M. pennsylvanicus.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks go to Sabine Fink, Jörg Hahne and Susanne Tellenbach for technical assistance. Support by the Stiftung zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung an der Universität Bern is gratefully acknowledged. This work was funded in part by Swiss National Science Foundation grant 3100A0-112072.

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  1. Computational and Molecular Population Genetics (CMPG), Zoological Institute, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, Bern, 3012, Switzerland

    Barbara Walser & Gerald Heckel

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  1. Barbara Walser
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  2. Gerald Heckel
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Correspondence to Gerald Heckel.

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Walser, B., Heckel, G. Microsatellite markers for the common vole (Microtus arvalis) and their cross-species utility. Conserv Genet 9, 479–481 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-007-9355-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-007-9355-6

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