Isolation and characterization of ten polar bear (Ursus maritimus) microsatellite loci and cross-amplification in other Ursidae

We developed ten polymorphic microsatellite loci for polar bear (Ursus maritimus) and tested for cross-amplification in six other bear species. Markers were typed in 30 polar bears from Western Hudson Bay, Canada, and two samples from each of American black bear, brown bear, sun bear, sloth bear, Asiatic black bear, and spectacled bear. Two to seven alleles were observed at each locus in polar bear and most loci were polymorphic in other bear species. These markers will be useful for parentage analysis and population genetic studies.