Application of Microsatellite Markers in Conservation Genetics and Fisheries Management: Recent Advances in Population Structure Analysis and Conservation Strategies

Abstract

Microsatellites are the most popular and versatile genetic marker with myriads of applications in population genetics, conservation biology, and evolutionary biology. These are the arrays of DNA sequences, consisting of tandemly repeating mono-, di-, tri-, and tetranucleotide units, which are distributed throughout the genomes of most eukaryotic species. Microsatellites are codominant in nature, highly polymorphic, easily typed, and Mendelian inherited, all properties which make them very suitable for the study of population structure and pedigree analysis and capable of detecting differences among closely related species. PCR for microsatellites can be automated for identifying simple sequence repeat polymorphism. Small amount of blood samples or alcohol preserved tissue is adequate for analyzing them. Most of the microsatellites are noncoding, and therefore variations are independent of natural selection. These properties make microsatellites ideal genetic markers for conservation genetics and fisheries management. This review addresses the applications of microsatellite markers in conservation genetics and recent advances in population structure analysis in the context of fisheries management.

Population structure of Hirundichthys oxycephalus in the northwestern Pacific inferred from mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene

“…Study of population structures is a significant step toward realizing the goal of management of fishery and conservation of the fish resources in their natural population (Abdul-Muneer 2014). This approach has been previously applied to H. affinis in the central western Atlantic (Gomes et al 1999).…”

Cross-amplification of heterologous microsatellite markers in Piracanjuba

“…Microsatellite markers are currently widely used for assessment since they provide a great amount of information due to high polymorphism and their co-dominant characteristics (ABDUL-MUNEER, et al, 2014). However, the marker requires previous information on the genome (ABDUL-MUNEER, et al, 2014), limiting the use of the technique for specimens with no species-specific primers, as is the case for B. orbignyanus.…”

Microsatellite markers in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

“…They are characterized by their codominant transmission (the heterozygotes can be distinguished from homozygotes), wide genomic distribution, high polymorphism, hypervariable, and informative nature, providing considerable pattern, relative abundance with uniform genome coverage, higher mutation rate than standard, and easy sample preparation (Abdul-Muneer, 2014;Senan et al, 2014). Di-, tri-and tetranucleotide repeats are the most frequently used in molecular genetic studies (Selkoe and Toonen, 2006).…”