Abstract
The genus Acropora (Scleractinia, Acroporidae) is one of the most widespread coral genera, comprising the largest number of extant species among scleractinian (reef-building) corals. Molecular phylogenetic studies have suggested that A. tenuis belongs to the most basal clade (clade I) while A. digitifera belongs to a derived clade (clade IV). In order to develop microsatellite markers that would be useful for most Acropora species, we sequenced the genomic DNA of A. tenuis, using a next generation sequencer (Illumina MiSeq), and designed primer sets that amplify microsatellite loci. Afterward we selected primer pairs with perfectly matched nucleotide sequences from which at least one primer was uniquely mapped to the A. digitifera genome. Fourteen microsatellite markers showed non-significant departure from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) in both A. tenuis and A. digitifera. Thus these markers could be used for wide range of species and may provide powerful tools for population genetics studies and conservation of Acropora corals.
Highlights
Acropora (Scleractinia, Acroporidae) is a common, emblematic genus of reef-building corals
In this study we developed cross-species microsatellite markers that can be applied to a variety of Acropora species
To achieve this we used two Acropora species that belong to taxonomically distant clades (I: A. tenuis, IV: A. digitifera) and we took advantage of next-generation sequencing technology to design novel microsatellite primer pairs that can be used for both species
Summary
Acropora (Scleractinia, Acroporidae) is a common, emblematic genus of reef-building corals. In order to develop microsatellite markers that would be useful for most Acropora species, we sequenced the genomic DNA of A. tenuis, using a generation sequencer (Illumina MiSeq), and designed primer sets that amplify microsatellite loci. Afterward we selected primer pairs with perfectly matched nucleotide sequences from which at least one primer was uniquely mapped to the A. digitifera genome.
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