Abstract
We isolated 116 unique microsatellite sequences from an enriched genomic library generated from a single colony of the temperate octocoral Alcyonium digitatum sampled off The Lizard, Cornwall, southwest England. Primer pairs were designed for 54 loci and tested in four individuals from a neighbouring site. Subsequently, 11 polymorphic loci were selected and characterized in 42 individuals sampled from the Isles of Scilly, southwest England. All loci were polymorphic in the Scilly population, with 3–27 alleles per locus and expected heterozygosities of 0.07–0.96. Two loci deviated from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium possibly due to the presence of null alleles. No loci showed significant evidence of linkage disequilibrium following correction for multiple tests. Cross-amplification was assessed in Alcyonium coralloides, Alcyonium acaule and Alcyonium palmatum collected from the French Mediterranean; six loci amplified successfully in at least one other species. These markers should prove useful for future conservation studies of this ubiquitous animal.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
