Polymorphic Microsatellite Markers Selection by Cross-Species Amplification in Black Francolin (Francolinus francolinus asiae)

The cross-species amplification is an effective method in obtaining microsatellite loci for genetic studies of closely related species. In this study, the cross-species amplified markers were characterized and selected for black francolin (Francolinus francolinus asiae). It is a ground dwelling game bird. In this study total eight markers were cross-species amplified. These eight markers were selected from chicken. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 4 to 21. The observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.022 to 0.98 and the expected heterozygosity from 0.23 to 0.79. There was no evidence of linkage disequilibrium among the pair of loci. These loci were polymorphic and offered valuable tool for genetic diversity and population genetic studies of black francolin.