Microsatellite markers for assessing genetic diversity and kinship relationships in one of the largest South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis) populations of the Pacific Ocean

The genetic diversity of a population is the foundation of its adaptability to environmental challenges. The South American fur seal is a widely distributed pinniped in the south cone of South America. However, a large gap in the Pacific coast separates two distinct evolutionary units for the species: the Peruvian and the Southern Pacific/Atlantic populations. Throughout the Pacific, one of the main breeding colonies is located in Guafo Island, in the southern Chilean Patagonia. As the closest reproductive population to the isolated Peruvian group, Guafo’s colony may potentially facilitate gene flow, contribute with new alleles and increase genetic variability to Peruvian populations’, connecting the entire Pacific’s distribution of the species. In this study, Guafo’s Island South American fur seal population was characterized by the identification and genotyping of species-specific microsatellite markers. As a result, we confirm that Guafo’s colony is a diverse group with mild evidence...