Isolation And Characterization Of Microsatellite Markers In The Gecko Gekko Swinhonis

The gecko Gekko swinhonis is considered to be one of the most widespread species among the gecko genus, inhabiting Loess Plateau, Huabei Plain, Huanghuai Plain and areas north of the Yangtze River. The specimens of G. swinhonis from different areas show morphological variations in the number of enlarged tubercles among small granular scales. The Loess Plateau habitat differs from the other habitats in arid climate (annual precipitation <400 mm), while the others are characterized by higher humidity and higher precipitation. Widespread species occurring in such contrasting habitats are likely to experience different selection regimes and can be expected to show local adaptations. The observed morphological variation and habitat differences made this species an interesting model for studies of phylogeography and population dynamics. Our aims are to compare nuclear genetic diversity and gene flow among local populations, and to study the correlation between phenotypic and genetic divergences in this gecko. We isolated and characterized microsatellite loci for future genetics studies of this species.We characterized 21 dinucleotide microsatellite loci from an AC/AG-enriched genomic library of G. swinhonis. The number of alleles per locus ranged from eight to 24 and the observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.160 to 0.834 and from 0.584 to 0.917, respectively. Cross-amplification was tested in six other Gekko species and two species from the genus Hemidactylus, using the identical PCR condition as for G. swinhonis. All of these loci except loci GS305 can be amplified successfully in at least one other species. These polymorphic makers will be a valuable tool for studies on genetic structure and colonization history of gecko populations.