Development and characterization of microsatellite markers for Fagus crenata Blume

Microsatellite markers can yield high-resolution genetic profiles for individual identification, and for parentage analysis, when evaluating gene dispersal in populations. Fagus crenata is an important dominant species in the cool temperate forests in Japan, and although many studies on the species have been conducted the patterns of gene dispersal via pollen and seeds are poorly understood. In order to be better informed about gene dispersal in Fagus crenata, we have developed 16 new microsatellite loci from an enriched library of genomic DNA. These 16 loci were highly variable, with 3-40 alleles per locus and an expected heterozygosity value of 0.11-0.98.