Characterization of microsatellite loci in White‐chinned Petrel (<i>Procellaria aequinoctialis</i>) and cross‐amplification in six other procellariiform species

Abstract

Abstract Six polymorphic dinucleotide microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized from the White‐chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis , using a degenerate primer and PCR‐based technique to construct and screen an enriched genomic library. Preliminary data on three populations show heterozygosity levels ranging from 0.22 to 0.67 and allele numbers from three to nine. Preliminary data also suggest genetic distance between these three populations ( F ST 0.088). Cross‐species amplification of these six microsatellite loci and one further locus were tested in six other procellariiform species of the genus Procellaria , Macronectes , Thalassarche and Diomedea .