Development of Microsatellite DNA Markers for the Automated Genetic Characterization of White-Tailed Deer Populations

Nuclear microsatellite DNA loci have proven useful for the establishment of parentage, determination of relationships among individuals in a population, estimation of gene flow patterns among populations, and examination of geographic variation throughout the range of a species. These loci have considerable potential for managers interested in the behavior, breeding biology, and basic ecology of wildlife species. We present the characterization of 4 multiplexed primer sets, representing 21 microsatellite DNA loci, which can be used to evaluate the population structure and genetic relationships among white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). These markers are useful to establish parentage and study gene flow and genetic divergence within and between populations. Indices of genetic diversity for these loci were estimated using genotypes of 72 free-ranging deer from southeastern Oklahoma. The mean expected heterozygosity of the overall panel was 0.723, and mean number of alleles per locus was 8.38. The total exclusion power of the panel was calculated for 2 scenarios. First parent exclusion, with neither parent known, was 0.999977. Second parent exclusion, with the genotype of 1 parent known, was 1.000000. This panel of microsatellite DNA loci should prove very effective for use in genetic studies of both captive and free-ranging populations of white-tailed deer.