Identification of polymorphic microsatellite loci for the endangered great bustard (Otis tarda) by high-throughput sequencing

We used next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques to develop 14 new microsatellite loci in the great bustard (Otis tarda), an endangered steppe bird. We genotyped 22 individuals of the species in order to quantify levels of polymorphism and found that the number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 11 (mean = 4.21), with observed heterozygosity values for each locus ranging between 0.16 and 0.82 (mean = 0.52). We found no linkage disequilibrium between marker pairs nor any departures from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni correction. This new set of markers will be useful for the study of genetic variation and structure in the great bustard and other members of the family Otididae, many of them highly vulnerable.