Characterization of novel microsatellite markers for the red-footed falcon (Falco vespertinus) and cross-species amplification in other Falco species

Abstract

The red-footed falcon (Falco vespertinus) is a colonially breeding, migratory raptor. The species underwent a dramatic population decline in the twentieth century in the Carpathian Basin. Despite the fact that this species has been in the focus of conservation efforts in the past decade, its genetic mating system and the population structure are hardly known. There were no reliable and polymorphic markers specifically developed for the red-footed falcon to study the genetic structure of colonies and implement kinship analyses. To enlarge the available marker set developed for related species, we characterized ten new microsatellite markers. We used the samples of independent adult males (n = 15) and females (n = 14) to test 44 primer pairs, out of which ten proved to be reliably amplifiable and polymorphic. The number of alleles ranged from 6 to 26. The combined probability of identity value of the ten loci was 8.2 × 10−15. We also tested these markers on six related species: F. peregrinus (n = 10), F. tinnunculus (n = 8), F. rusticolus (n = 3), F. subbuteo (n = 1), F. cherrug (n = 1), and F. columbarius (n = 1). The novel microsatellite marker set can be a useful tool to support both basic and applied genetic studies and help to improve conservation strategies of red-footed falcon and potentially other falcon species.