An Evaluation of the Genetic Structure of Geese Maintained in Poland on the Basis of Microsatellite Markers

SIMPLE SUMMARY: This study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the genetic variability of Polish national goose breeds, using polymorphism of 15 microsatellite markers. The results revealed a highly mixed genotype of all the examined geese, suggesting that breeds cannot be distinguished from each other on the basis of microsatellite markers. ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic variability of the White Kołuda(®) goose and 12 conservative flocks: Kielecka, Podkarpacka, Garbonosa, Pomerian, Rypinska, Landes, Lubelska, Suwalska, Kartuska, Romanska, Slowacka, and Kubanska, maintained in Poland using microsatellite data. The genetic diversity of geese kept in Poland remains poorly analyzed at the molecular level. In total 392 samples were examined with the usage of 15 microsatellite markers. 119 alleles were identified and the number of alleles per locus ranged from 1 to 13. The highest number of alleles was observed in TTUCG5 (16) and the lowest in CAUD-G007 (2), while CKW47 was monomorphic. The lowest value of expected heterozygosity (H(e)) was observed in Landes, while the highest in Romanska. Similarly, the observed heterozygosity (H(o)) was the lowest in Landes but the highest in Kartuska. The polymorphism information content (PIC) indicates loci TTUCG5 as the most valuable microsatellite marker among those examined. The Structure software was used for the first time to identify goose populations, revealing high admixture between breeds and their close genetic propinquity. Moreover, the presented panel of microsatellite markers remained polymorphic and is useful for population studies of geese and assessment of genetic diversity.