Microsatellite variation in an introduced mouflon population.

As previous studies of genetic polymorphism in the mouflon (Ovis gmelini) have not provided any valuable markers for population studies, we tested the capacity of microsatellites to index the genetic diversity of a recently introduced mouflon population. Six pairs of bovine primer amplified microsatellites in mouflon, and all six were polymorphic. Furthermore, despite the low number of founders, five loci had a high gene diversity in this introduced population. Unlike other genetic markers, microsatellites could be powerful to study the genetic structure of mouflon populations.