| dc.description.abstract | Background: DNA profiling allows the study of population structure, dispersal and
survival of protected species and can play an important role in mitigating wildlife
crime. The eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca) is a globally vulnerable raptor
which has been actively monitored in Hungary for decades, using DNA profiling
based on microsatellite markers. However, due to the rapid growth of the population,
additional markers are required for reliable individual identification in the future.
Objectives: Our aim was to increase the resolution of the microsatellite marker
set currently used for the individual identification of the eastern imperial eagle
with cross-species markers described in related species.
Materials and Methods: We tested 26 cross-species microsatellite markers,
out of which six were described in the Spanish imperial eagle (A. adalberti), 13 in
the Japanese golden eagle (A. chrysaetos japonica) and seven in the white-tailed
eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). First, we tested the markers in monoplex PCR reactions in 4–15 unrelated individuals, using DNA from shed feathers of breeding
individuals collected between 2011 and 2022. Then, we created multiplexes of the
polymorphic markers where possible to reduce genotyping costs. Lastly, we tested
the markers for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and the presence of null alleles, and
estimated the probabilities of identity for the new marker set.
Results and Discussion: In general, the polymorphism and amplification success of markers were positively correlated with relatedness between the eastern
imperial eagle and the source species. We selected 17 markers for the final marker
set, seven previously used and ten newly tested markers (two eastern imperial
eagle, ten Spanish imperial eagle, three Japanese golden eagle and two white-tailed eagle markers). All markers were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and no null
alleles were detected. The probability of identity decreased compared to the old
marker set (from 10 -6 to 10 -14), ensuring the reliable individual identification of
eastern imperial eagles in the future. | en_US |
