DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MICROSATELLITE MARKERS IN THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES ACER YANGBIENSE (ACERACEAE)

Premise of the study: Microsatellite primers were developed to assess genetic diversity and population structure in Acer yangbiense, a critically endangered endemic species that occurs in northwestern Yunnan Province, China. Methods and Results: Using the Fast Isolation by AFLP of Sequences Containing repeats (FIASCO) protocol, 34 microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized in A. yangbiense. Polymorphisms were evaluated in 39 individuals from two distinct populations, one of which was naturally occurring and the other an ex situ grouping. Nine of the markers showed polymorphisms with two to five alleles per locus; observed (H(o)) and expected (H(e)) heterozygosities ranged from 0.0000 to 0.8000 and from 0.0000 to 0.6889, respectively. Conclusions: These microsatellite primers will prove useful in the further investigation of population genetics studies in A. yangbiense and, in addition, will assist related research of other congeneric species.