Abstract
The Hawaiian monk seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi) is endemic to the Hawaiian archipelago and is among the most endangered marine mammal species in the world. Prior studies used mitochondrial and microsatellite markers to investigate broad scale conservation questions about genetic diversity and population differentiation. As Hawaiian monk seal population numbers continue to decline, outstanding fine-scale genetic questions require enhanced genotyping capacity of a rich archive of specimens. Here we integrate 24 novel polymorphic microsatellite markers into three multiplex polymerase chain reactions and provide summary statistics. The mean number of alleles was 2.625; mean expected and observed heterozygosities were 0.3586 and 0.3489, respectively; and mean polymorphic information content was 0.027. This multiplex assay contributes additional analytical power to further investigate genetic questions related to population recovery of an iconic endangered species.
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Acknowledgments
This work was funded in part by the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and UNESCO World Heritage Site, the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program, and the American Museum of Natural History’s Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics (SICG). We thank Rebecca Hersch, Stephen Gaughran, Ramon Perez, Emily Lipstein, and Karoline Lake at SICG, Drs. Johannes Haugstetter and Andres Buser at Ecogenics GmbH, and Lin Wang and Paul Lee at Molecular Cloning Laboratories for their invaluable laboratory contributions. We thank Angela Kaufman and Thea Johanos for their assistance with specimen and data archives. All HMS samples were collected under NMFS MMPA/ESA Permit Nos. 848-1695, 10137 and 932-1905/MA-009526.
Author’s contributions
A. N. M. extracted genomic DNA, developed and optimized multiplex PCR recipes, coordinated multiplex assay batch processing, genotyped all samples, conducted analyses, and wrote manuscript. J. K. S. coordinated primer design and multiplex assay batch processing, extracted genomic DNA, and contributed to manuscript development. C. W. contributed to manuscript development. C. L. L. provided biological specimens and contributed to manuscript development. G. A. provided laboratory supplies and equipment and contributed to manuscript development. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Mihnovets, A.N., Schultz, J.K., Wultsch, C. et al. A novel microsatellite multiplex assay for the endangered Hawaiian monk seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi). Conservation Genet Resour 8, 91–95 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-016-0517-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-016-0517-z