Isolation and characterization of species-specific microsatellite markers for blue and black wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus and C. gnou)

The blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) is distributed throughout southern and east Africa while the black wildebeest
(Connochaetes gnou) is endemic to South Africa and was driven to near extinction in the early 1900s due to hunting pressure and disease
outbreaks. Extensive translocation of both species throughout South Africa is threatening the genetic integrity of blue and black
wildebeest. To effectively manage these species, genetic tools that can be used to detect hybrid individuals, identify genetically unique
subpopulations and determine the levels of genetic diversity are required. In this study, 11 microsatellite markers were developed for
wildebeest through next-generation sequencing. The microsatellite loci displayed 2.00–4.14 alleles, unbiased heterozygosity values
ranged from 0.32 to 0.60 and observed heterozygosity values ranged from 0.26 to 0.52. The comparatively high level of polymorphism
observed in the microsatellite markers indicates that these markers can contribute significantly to our knowledge of population genetic
structure, relatedness, genetic diversity and hybridization in these species.