Characterization of 12 polymorphic microsatellite markers in the liverwort Marchantia inflexa (Marchantiaceae)

Microsatellite markers were developed in Marchantia inflexa, a haploid liverwort with unisexual individuals, to identify clonal genotypes and measure population genetic variability.

Twelve polymorphic primer sets were developed from three enriched genomic libraries. Primers were fluorescently labeled, and alleles were identified by fragment analysis. These primers were tested in four natural populations and revealed a moderate level of genetic variation within four populations, as indicated by the number of alleles per locus (range = 1-5).

Development of polymorphic markers is crucial to the identification of individuals and will allow additional research into this species, particularly on its population genetics and metapopulation dynamics.