A Genetic Tool for Non-Invasive Monitoring of Fennoscandian Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos)

Increasing human landscape alterations may negatively affect golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) populations, calling for organized monitoring programs. Using genetic tools to monitor populations is contingent on genetic markers and methods that provide accurate genotyping from available DNA source material (e.g., feathers, blood etc.). Here, we describe a SNP panel for the golden eagle in northern Europe to determine sex, identify individuals, analyze relatedness, and genetic diversity. Samples from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland were RAD-sequenced, and 29,361 SNP markers were ascertained in 96 samples. Markers that did not contain a single biallelic SNP or were not present in at least half of the population were excluded. These were filtered down to 219 markers with a mean minor allele frequency (MAF) of 0.36. Based on clustering performance, 95 of the 219 markers were selected. An additional marker, CHD1ZW, was added to determine sex. The final panel was successful in sexing and identifying individuals, though assessing relatedness using this panel should be done with caution. This new SNP panel constitutes a valuable resource for applications in management and ecological research.