Search

Background: Keteleeria davidiana var. formosana (Pinaceae), Taiwan cow-tail fir, is an endangered species listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and only two populations remain, both on the Taiwan Island. Sixteen polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed in an endangered and endemic gymnosperm species, Keteleeria davidiana var. formosana, and were tested in an additional 6 taxa, K. davidiana var. calcarea, K. davidiana var. chienpeii, K. evelyniana, K. fortunei, K. fortunei var. cyclolepis, and K. pubescens, to evaluate the genetic variation available for conservation management and to reconstruct the phylogeographic patterns of this ancient lineage., Findings: Polymorphic primer sets were developed from K. davidiana var. formosana using the modified AFLP and magnetic bead enrichment method. The number of alleles ranged from 3 to 16, with the observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.28 to 1.00. All of the loci were found to be interspecifically amplifiable., Conclusions: These polymorphic and transferable loci will be potentially useful for future studies that will focus on identifying distinct evolutionary units within species and establishing the phylogeographic patterns and the process of speciation among closely related species.

Poison ivy, Toxicodendron radicans, and poison oaks, T. diversilobum and T. pubescens, are perennial woody species of the Anacardiaceae and are poisonous, containing strong allergens named urushiols that cause allergic contact dermatitis. Poison ivy is a species distributed from North America to East Asia, while T. diversilobum and T. pubescens are distributed in western and eastern North America, respectively. Phylogreography and population structure of these species remain unclear. Here, we developed microsatellite markers, via constructing a magnetic enriched microsatellite library, from poison ivy. We designed 51 primer pairs, 42 of which successfully yielded products that were subsequently tested for polymorphism in poison oak, and three subspecies of poison ivy. Among the 42 loci, 38 are polymorphic, while 4 are monomorphic. The number of alleles and the expected heterozygosity ranged from 1 to 12 and from 0.10 to 0.87, respectively, in poison ivy, while varied from 2 to 8 and, from 0.26 to 0.83, respectively in poison oak. Genetic analysis revealed distinct differentiation between poison ivy and poison oak, whereas slight genetic differentiation was detected among three subspecies of poison ivy. These highly polymorphic microsatellite fingerprints enable biologists to explore the population genetics, phylogeography, and speciation in Toxicodendron.

Premise of the Study: Microsatellite loci were developed from Imperata cylindrica, a traditional medicinal herb in Asia and among the top 10 worst invasive weeds in the world, to aid in the identification of the limits of asexual clonal individuals., Methods and Results: A total of 21 microsatellite markers, including 18 polymorphic and three monomorphic loci, were developed from I. cylindrica using a magnetic bead enrichment protocol. The primers amplified dinucleotide, trinucleotide, and complex repeats. The number of alleles ranged from one to 19 per locus, with an observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.09 to 1.00. Several loci deviated significantly from the within-population Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium as a result of asexual clonal reproduction., Conclusions: These polymorphic markers should be useful tools in further studies on the identification of the range of clonal reproduction units and the selection and classification of the medicinal cultivar.

Premise of the Study: Fifteen microsatellite loci were developed in an endangered species, Amentotaxus formosana, and were tested in an additional three species, A. argotaenia, A. yunnanensis, and A. poilanei, to evaluate the population structure for conservation efforts and reconstruct the phylogeographic patterns of this ancient lineage., Methods and Results: Polymorphic primer sets were developed from A. formosana; the number of alleles ranged from two to 10, with an observed heterozygosity ranging from 0 to 0.60. All of the loci were found to be interspecifically amplifiable., Conclusions: These polymorphic and transferable loci will be potentially useful for future studies that will focus on identifying distinct genetic units within species and establishing the phylogeographic patterns and the process of speciation among closely related species.

Premise of the Study: Transferable polymorphic microsatellite loci for four skullcaps, Scutellaria indica, S. taiwanensis, S. austrotaiwanensis, and S. playfairii, were developed for future studies of the mating system and population structure of these species. Interspecific amplification was also tested in various Scutellaria species., Methods and Results: Twelve novel polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated from four S. taiwanensis specimens, and seven are interspecifically transferable. Microsatellite loci developed from S. austrotaiwanensis in a previous study were also analyzed in the other three species, and 12 loci were found to be transferable. Allele numbers of the total 24 loci for S. indica, S. taiwanensis, S. playfairii, and S. austrotaiwanensis are two to four, two, two to five, and two to three, respectively, with an expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.114-0.661, 0.062-0.499, 0.280-0.730, and 0.268-0.662, respectively. The interspecies transferability of these 24 loci was further tested in another 10 Scutellaria species, including three species native to Taiwan. Seventeen loci were found to be interspecifically amplifiable, especially among the Taiwan native species., Conclusions: These highly polymorphic and transferable loci will be useful for future studies of the mating system of closely related Scutellaria species.

Premise of the Study: Miscanthus, a nonfood plant with high potential as a biofuel, has been used in Europe and the United States. The selection of a cultivar with high biomass, photosynthetic efficiency, and stress resistance from wild populations has become an important issue. New genic microsatellite markers will aid the assessment of genetic diversity for different strains., Methods and Results: Twelve polymorphic microsatellite markers derived from the transcriptome of Miscanthus sinensis fo. glaber were identified and screened on 80 individuals of M. sinensis. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 6 to 12, and the mean expected heterozygosity was 0.75. Cross-taxa transferability revealed that all loci can be applied to all varieties of M. sinensis, as well as the closely related species M. floridulus., Conclusions: These new genic microsatellite markers are useful for characterizing different traits in breeding programs or to select genes useful for biofuel.

This article documents the addition of 139 microsatellite marker loci and 90 pairs of single-nucleotide polymorphism sequencing primers to the Molecular Ecology Resources Database. Loci were developed for the following species: Aglaoctenus lagotis, Costus pulverulentus, Costus scaber, Culex pipiens, Dascyllus marginatus, Lupinus nanus Benth, Phloeomyzus passerini, Podarcis muralis, Rhododendron rubropilosum Hayata var. taiwanalpinum and Zoarces viviparus. These loci were cross-tested on the following species: Culex quinquefasciatus, Rhododendron pseudochrysanthum Hay. ssp. morii (Hay.) Yamazaki and R. pseudochrysanthum Hayata. This article also documents the addition of 48 sequencing primer pairs and 90 allele-specific primers for Engraulis encrasicolus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]