Data from: Empowering conservation practice with efficient and economical genotyping from poor quality samples

1. Moderate to high density genotyping (100+ SNPs) is widely used to
determine and measure individual identity, relatedness, fitness,
population structure and migration in wild populations. 2. However, these
important tools are difficult to apply when high-quality genetic material
is unavailable. Most genomic tools are developed for high quality DNA
sources from lab or medical settings. As a result, most genetic data from
market or field settings is limited to easily-amplified mitochondrial DNA
or a few microsatellites. 3. To enable genotyping in conservation
contexts, we used next-generation sequencing of multiplex PCR products
from very low-quality DNA extracted from feces, hair, and cooked samples.
We demonstrated utility and wide-ranging potential application in
endangered wild tigers and tracking commercial trade in Caribbean queen
conch. 4. We genotyped 100 SNPs from degraded tiger samples to identify
individuals, discern close relatives, and detect population
differentiation. Co-occurring carnivores do not amplify (e.g. Indian wild
dog/Dhole) or are monomorphic (e.g. leopard). 62 SNPs from conch fritters
and field-collected samples were used to test relatedness and detect
population structure. 5. We provide proof-of-concept for a rapid, simple,
cost-effective, and scalable method (for both samples and number of loci),
a framework that can be applied to other conservation scenarios previously
limited by low quality DNA samples. These approaches provide a critical
advance for wildlife monitoring and forensics, open the door to
field-ready testing, and will strengthen the use of science in policy
decisions and wildlife trade.