Eight microsatellite loci characterised in the European blackbird, Turdus merula

• Published in: Journal of ornithology Vol. 149; no. 1; pp. 131 - 133
• Main Authors: Segelbacher, Gernot, Sacher, Thomas, Schwarzenberger, Anke, Woitsch, Sonja, Bairlein, Franz, Coppack, Timothy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.01.2008; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: breeding season; Breeding seasons; Ecology; Fish & Wildlife Biology & Management; Genetic markers; Germany; kinship; Life Sciences; microsatellite repeats; Microsatellites; North Sea; polymerase chain reaction; Population genetics; Population studies; Shorte Note; songbirds; Turdus merula; Zoology; North Sea; Germany; Microsatellites; Molecular marker; Population differentiation; Polymorphism
• ISSN: 2193-7192; 2193-7206
• DOI: 10.1007/s10336-007-0227-0

Although the European blackbird, Turdus merula , is one of the most abundant and conspicuous songbirds of the Western Palaearctic and, as such, has been subject of numerous behavioural and ecological studies, there is to date no specific, PCR-based marker system for this species, and information on the applicability of genetic markers from other species or genera is scant. Here, we report the successful amplification of eight microsatellite loci in the European blackbird. We compared levels of polymorphism between groups of individuals sampled during the breeding season at different geographic localities (Heligoland Island, North Sea and Radolfzell, south-western Germany). We found high levels of polymorphisms, which enabled us to ascertain population membership of individuals. The properties of the tested microsatellite markers make them suitable for population genetic studies as well as for kinship analyses.