Abstract
We used Illumina sequencing to develop eight novel microsatellite loci for Maasai giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi), and screened them using fecal DNA. Genetic diversity was assessed for 40 individuals from the Katavi National Park/Rukwa Game Reserve ecosystem in Tanzania. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 14 (mean = 6.2) and mean expected heterozygosity was moderate (range 0.025–0.838, mean = 0.527). These markers were successfully tested using degraded DNA and may be useful for future studies of giraffe, especially those that use non-invasive sampling techniques.
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Acknowledgments
We thank the Tanzanian Wildlife Research Institute (COSTECH permits 2006-266-ER-2006-133, 2007-195-ER-2006-133, 2009-164-ER-2006-133), Tanzanian National Parks (TANAPA) and the Tanzanian Wildlife Division, as well as the Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing at Oregon State University, Alana Alexander and Kendra Hoekzema. Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation (International Research Fellowship Program #0602082), Natural Sciences Engineering and Research Council of Canada, Rocky Mountain Goat Foundation, an American Society of Mammalogists grant in aid of research, and Oregon State University.
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Crowhurst, R.S., Mullins, T.D., Mutayoba, B.M. et al. Characterization of eight polymorphic loci for Maasai giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) using non-invasive genetic samples. Conservation Genet Resour 5, 85–87 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-012-9739-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-012-9739-x