New microsatellite markers for the rare plant Cercidiphyllum japonicum and their utility for Cercidiphyllum magnificum

Abstract

Premise of the study: Microsatellite markers were developed for Cercidiphyllum japonicum to study population genetics of this endangered species native to both eastern China and Japan. Methods and Results: Using the Fast Isolation by AFLP of Sequences Containing Repeats (FIASCO) protocol, 12 microsatel-lite markers that were successfully amplified showed polymorphism when tested on 33 individuals from two populations in eastern China and Japan. Overall, the number of alleles per locus ranged between 5 and 18. Eleven markers could be easily amplified and were polymorphic in C. magnificum. Conclusions: These results indicate that these microsatellite markers are adequate for detecting and characterizing population genetic structure in Cercidiphyllum at fine and range-wide geographical scales. © 2010 Botanical Society of America.