Transferability of nuclear microsatellites markers to Vriesea oligantha (Bromeliaceae), an endemic species from Espinhaco Range, Brazil

The Espinhaco Range is a center of biodiversity and endemism located in Eastern Brazil, and our knowledge is still scarce for the genetic diversity, structure and phylogeography of species from these mountains. Vriesea oligantha (Baker) Mez is an endemic bromeliad distributed along the Espinhaco Range with naturally fragmented populations. Here, the transferability of 30 microsatellites loci previously developed for seven Bromeliaceae species was tested from three different subfamilies in eight populations of V. oligantha. The amplification of 24 loci was successfully accomplished and 20 of them were polymorphic. Ten highly polymorphic microsatellite loci were selected to be amplified and genotyped in two population of V. oligantha. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 1 to 11, the expected and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0 to 0.905 and from 0 to 0.750, respectively. Our results endorse the cross-amplification between deeply divergent lineages of Bromeliaceae and provide useful markers for further phylogeographic, population genetics and mating systems studies to better understand the evolutionary history of an endemic species of a naturally fragmented area.