Microsatellite markers for 24 loci developed for genotyping eastern woodrats, Neotoma floridana

Population declines have been documented in many species within the genus Neotoma. Eastern woodrat, Neotoma floridana, recovery efforts in the Shawnee National Forest (SNF), Illinois USA provided an opportunity to study the long-term population-level genetic changes following an augmentation and reintroduction. We developed 24 microsatellite markers using QDD and genotyped 32 eastern woodrats from a single population. Number of alleles per locus ranged from 3-14 (mean = 7). Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.375–0.969 per locus and expected heterozygosity from 0.485-0.854. Two loci showed significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium following Bonferroni sequential corrections. These markers will provide valuable information useful for studying population dynamics of eastern woodrats and closely-related species.