Abstract
Six new microsatellite DNA loci are isolated from a genomic library of the sphenodontid reptile tuatara (Sphenodon) and presented here as a tool for identifying individuals for future paternity and kinship studies. These loci, in combination with four previously published loci, are sufficient to discriminate between clutch-mate siblings from Stephens Island and Brothers Island populations. These populations represent high and low levels of genetic diversity in tuatara populations respectively. An estimate of minimum number of fathers of each clutch found no evidence for multiple paternity in any clutch. These newly isolated loci complete the development of an array of genetic tools for use in tuatara to enhance ongoing conservation and management of wild, translocated and captive populations.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Charles Daugherty, Nicola Nelson and Susan Keall of Victoria University of Wellington for access to tuatara tissue, and Niccy Aitken and Hilary Miller for technical assistance. JMH and this research were funded by a New Zealand Foundation for Science Research and Technology Postdoctoral Fellowship. We also thank the Centres of Research Excellence Funds given to the Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution and the Marsden Fund, for support. We appreciate comments from reviewers on a previous version of the manuscript.
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Hay, J.M., Lambert, D.M. Microsatellite DNA loci identify individuals and provide no evidence for multiple paternity in wild tuatara (Sphenodon: Reptilia). Conserv Genet 9, 1039–1043 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-007-9445-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-007-9445-5