Optimization of novel polymorphic microsatellites in muskox (Ovibos Moschatus) leads to an increased estimate of muskox microsatellite diversity

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Abstract
Initial microsatellite studies suggested that muskoxen display the lowest microsatellite polymorphism in a large ungulate. We optimized 17 di‐nucleotide microsatellites with longer repeats from a muskox DNA library and surveyed 18 animals from across their natural range. Loci with perfect repeats were more variable than imperfect loci: Hperfect = 0.504 ± 0.045 (± SE) vs. Himperfect = 0.067 ± 0.055. Our Hperfect estimate is higher than previous low estimates of HE = 0.018 and HE = 0.059.