Null alleles are ubiquitous at microsatellite loci in the Wedge Clam ( Donax trunculus )

• Published in: PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) Vol. 5; p. e3188
• Main Authors: Rico, Ciro, Cuesta, Jose Antonio, Drake, Pilar, Macpherson, Enrique, Bernatchez, Louis, Marie, Amandine D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States PeerJ. Ltd 18.04.2017; PeerJ, Inc; PeerJ Inc
• Subjects: Alleles; Binding sites; Biogeography; Biological research; Bivalves; Bivalvia; Conservation Biology; Donax trunculus; Fisheries; Gene frequency; Genetic aspects; Genetics; Genomes; Genomics; Genotypes; Genotyping; Heterozygous deficits; Marine Biology; Microsatellites; National parks; Null alleles; Population; Population genetics; Population structure; Studies; Spain; Heterozygous deficits; Null alleles; Donax trunculus; Microsatellites; Bivalves; Population genetics
• ISSN: 2167-8359; 2167-8359
• DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3188

Recent studies have reported an unusually high frequency of nonamplifying alleles at microsatellite loci in bivalves. Null alleles have been associated with heterozygous deficits in many studies. While several studies have tested for its presence using different analytical tools, few have empirically tested for its consequences in estimating population structure and differentiation. We characterised 16 newly developed microsatellite loci and show that null alleles are ubiquitous in the wedge clam, . We carried out several tests to demonstrate that the large heterozygous deficits observed in the newly characterised loci were most likely due to null alleles. We tested the robustness of microsatellite genotyping for population assignment by showing that well-recognised biogeographic regions of the south Atlantic and south Mediterranean coast of Spain harbour genetically different populations.