Abstract
The lack of available genetic resources for species of conservation concern is a significant barrier to assessments of their genetic diversity, which can provide unique insights into population health, demography, and resilience. Highly variable microsatellite markers are typically developed de novo as part of population genetic studies and are rarely tested systematically for their broader applicability, limiting their potential use in a conservation context. Here, we develop a new panel of cDNA-linked microsatellite loci for the pot-bellied seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis), and systematically screen these loci, together with other available seahorse markers, across a taxonomically-diverse sample of seahorse species. We characterize panels of 7–24 microsatellite loci for all seahorses, including a variety of IUCN-listed species that have not yet been the target of genetic analysis, and use these loci to obtain baseline data on their genetic diversity. The comparative analysis of these data identifies a number of genetically-depauperate lineages that should be considered priority areas for more in-depth genetic assessment.
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adapted from Teske et al. (2004)), showing the phylogenetic distribution of the 15 seahorse species screened for microsatellite diversity and their geographic location. Right: Amplification efficiency of seahorse microsatellite panels (a: Wilson and Martin-Smith (2007); b: present study; c: Jones et al. (1998); d: Galbusera et al. (2007); e: Pardo et al. (2007); and f: van de Vliet et al. (2009)) for each species (green: polymorphic, orange: monomorphic, red: amplification failure in focal species), along with median allele size. Range (bp) indicates the allelic size range from the original publications
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Data availability
Sequences of microsatellite-containing transcripts described in Table 1 have been archived in GenBank (MW651916-MW651935).
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Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Brian Simison and Anna Sellas (California Academy of Sciences) for technical assistance, and to Alex Nater (University of Zurich) for assistance with primer redesign. Thanks to JT Boehm, Peter Galbusera, Jeroen van den Hurk and Lucy Woodall for providing seahorse specimens for comparative analysis. This research was supported with funding from the Waitt Foundation, the University of Zurich, the City University of New York, and the California Academy of Sciences.
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Waitt Foundation, University of Zurich, City University of New York, California Academy of Sciences.
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ABW and MP conceived and designed the analysis; JA and MP collected the data; ABW performed the analyses and drafted the manuscript; all authors approved the submitted draft.
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Wilson, A.B., Ashe, J., Padron, M. et al. Comprehensive genus-wide screening of seahorse microsatellite loci identifies priority species for conservation assessment. Conservation Genet Resour 13, 221–230 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-021-01198-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-021-01198-4