Discovery, validation, and genotyping of single nucleotide polymorphisms in Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens)

This funding opportunity is for the discovery, validation and genotyping of approximately 10,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 192 Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) from Alaska. These SNPs will include approximately 100 loci with high minor allele frequency (MAF ≥ 0.30). Additionally, a thorough bioinformatics analysis will be conducted to discover gender-specific SNPs. The SNP loci from this project will be used by the Service to address two objectives: 1) estimate walrus population abundance using a genetic mark-recapture approach, 2) determine gender in sampled walrus.