The Australian dugong (Dugong dugon) and Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) are threatened species of aquatic mammals in the order Sirenia. Sirenian conservation and management actions would benefit from a more complete understanding of genetic diversity and population structure. Generally, species-specific microsatellite markers are employed in conservation genetic studies; however, robust markers can be difficult and costly to isolate. To increase the number of available markers, dugong and manatee microsatellite primers were evaluated for cross-species amplification. Furthermore, one manatee and four dugong novel primers are reported. After polymerase chain reaction optimization, 23 (92%) manatee primers successfully amplified dugong DNA, of which 11 (48%) were polymorphic. Of the 32 dugong primers tested, 27 (84%) yielded product in the manatee, of which 17 (63%) were polymorphic. Dugong and manatee primers were compared and the most informative markers were selected to create robust and informative marker-panels for each species. These crossspecies microsatellite marker-panels can be employed to assess other sirenian populations and can provide beneficial information for the protection and management of these unique mammals.
Citation Information
Publication Year | 2010 |
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Title | Characterization of highly informative cross-species microsatellite panels for the Australian dugong (Dugong dugon) and Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) including five novel primers |
Authors | Margaret Kellogg Hunter, Damien Broderick, Jennifer R. Ovenden, Kimberly Pause Tucker, Robert K. Bonde, Peter M. McGuire, Janet M. Lanyon |
Publication Type | Article |
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Series Title | Molecular Ecology Resources |
Index ID | 70003591 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
USGS Organization | Southeast Ecological Science Center |