Development and characterization of 23 microsatellite loci for Rhododendron ovatum (Ericaceae)
De-Chen Liu1, Yang Zhang1, Si-Si Wang1
1School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Tiantong National Station of Forest Ecosystem, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Urban Ecology and Restoration, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, People's Republic of China.
Premise Of The Study:
To estimate the genetic variation of Rhododendron ovatum (Ericaceae), a monoecious evergreen shrub, 23 microsatellite markers were identified from its nuclear genome.
Methods And Results:
We developed 16 polymorphic and seven monomorphic microsatellite primers using the biotin-streptavidin capture method. The 16 polymorphic loci were investigated further using 89 individuals sampled from three populations in China. The number of alleles per locus ranged from four to 30, indicating a high level of polymorphism. The observed heterozygosity varied from 0.1034 to 0.9333, while the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.1016 to 0.9542. Of these polymorphic primers, 12 were found to be functional in R. simsii, a congeneric species of R. ovatum.
Conclusions:
Moderate to high levels of genetic variation were found in these microsatellite loci, indicating that they can be applied in future studies of Rhododendron genetic structure, contributing to forest management and conservation.
