Microsatellite markers designed for tree-fern species Dicksonia sellowiana

Abstract

Microsatellite markers were developed for Dicksonia sellowiana (Dicksoniaceae), an overexploited and endangered tree-fern species native to Brazil. From an enriched genomic library, 11 primer pairs were selected and used to characterize 36 D. sellowiana individuals from six Brazilian populations. Eight primer pairs amplified dinucleotide and hexanucleotide repeats with two to ten alleles per locus; three primer pairs were monomorphic. For the set of polymorphic markers, the mean observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.29 to 0.44 and from 0.27 to 0.56, respectively. Eight of the primer pairs were also successfully amplified for Cyathea vestita (Cyatheaceae). These molecular markers can be useful tools for genetic studies aiming to analyze the impact of deforestation and overexploitation on the population structure and genetic diversity of fern species from various botanical families. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.