title: Genetic data from 28 STR loci for forensic individual identification and parentage analyses in 6 bird of prey species.
abstract: Twenty-eight STR loci were screened in wild populations of six bird of prey species providing allele frequencies and population genetic parameters necessary for the application of STRs in wildlife forensic genetic casework. Individual STR loci were validated according to forensic recommendations in specimens of golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), merlin (Falco columbarius), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), gyr falcon (Falco rusticolus) and saker falcon (Falco cherrug). Deviations from Hardy-Weinberg expectations and linkage disequilibrium between locus pairs were examined. The average probability of identity (PI(ave)) and power of exclusion (PE) suggest the profiling systems of golden eagle, goshawk, merlin and peregrine falcons are capable of providing robust and highly discriminatory forensic evidence for legal proceedings. Due to low sample numbers the allele frequency data for gyr and saker falcons is not currently capable of providing an effective probability of identity. Further work should focus on increasing the size of these data sets.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor LL57 2UW, United Kingdom. nick.dawnay@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dawnay
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ogden
authors.forename: Jon H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wetton
authors.forename: Roger S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Thorpe
authors.forename: Ross
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McEwing
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001717:Birds / Q000235:genetics*; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D053803:Forensic Genetics / Q000379:methods*; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005843:Geography; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D010334:Paternity; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011786:Quality Control; D013045:Species Specificity; D006113:United Kingdom