Somatic mutations at microsatellite loci in western Redcedar (Thuja plicata: Cupressaceae)

A per-generation somatic mutation rate for microsatellites was estimated in western redcedar (Thuja plicata, Donn ex D. Don.: Cupressaceae). A total of 80 trees representative of the average size and age of reproductive trees were sampled in four natural populations in southwestern British Columbia. Samples of bulked haploid megagametophytes were collected from two or three positions on each tree, assuming that the collections were far enough apart that the same mutant sector was not sampled twice. All samples were genotyped at eight microsatellite loci. A single mutation corresponding to a stepwise increase in one dinucleotide repeat was detected. The estimated mutation rate for microsatellites was 6.3 x 10(-4) mutations per locus per generation (or 3.1 x 10(-4) per allele per generation), with a 95% confidence interval of 3.0 x 10(-5) to 4.0 x 10(-3) mutations per locus. Somatic mutations can contribute to a greater mutational load in trees, as compared to shorter lived plants, and genotypic mosaics within an individual have important implications for plant defense strategies and plant evolution.