Baleen whale microsatellite panel for individual identification and parentage assignment in Mysticeti

Highly polymorphic single tandem repeat loci (STR, also known as microsatellite loci) remain a familiar, cost efficient class of genetic markers in genetic studies in ecology, behavior and conservation. Here we characterize a new, universal set of ten STR loci in seven species of baleen whales, opti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Global Ecology and Conservation
Main Authors: Marcos Suárez-Menéndez, Martine Bérubé, Lutz Bachmann, Peter Best, Nick Davison, Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen, Véronique Lesage, Tom Oosting, Rui Prieto, Christian Ramp, Jooke Robbins, Richard Sears, Mónica A. Silva, Mariel T.I. ten Doeschate, Marc Tollis, Els Vermeulen, Gísli A. Víkingsson, Øystein Wiig, Per J. Palsbøll
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024
Subjects:
STR loci
Mysticeti
Multiplex
Paternity
Microsatellite
Ecology
QH540-549.5
Balaena mysticetus
Balaenoptera physalus
baleen whale
baleen whales
Blue whale
bowhead whale
Fin whale
Humpback Whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e02947
https://doaj.org/article/d2d487cff38f4c70a657474125631b87
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Summary:Highly polymorphic single tandem repeat loci (STR, also known as microsatellite loci) remain a familiar, cost efficient class of genetic markers in genetic studies in ecology, behavior and conservation. Here we characterize a new, universal set of ten STR loci in seven species of baleen whales, optimized for PCR amplification in two multiplex reactions along with a Y chromosome marker for sex determination. The optimized, universal set of STR loci provides a convenient starting point for new genetic studies in baleen whales aimed at identifying individuals and populations. Data from the new STR loci were combined with genotypes from previously published STR loci to assess the power to assign parentage using paternity exclusion in four species: fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), blue whale (B. musculus) and bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus). Our results suggest that parentage studies should always be accompanied by a power analysis in order to ascertain that each individual specific study is based upon data with sufficient power to assign parentage with statistical rigor.

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