Characterization of microsatellite markers for the endangered Daphne rodriguezii (Thymelaeaceae) and related species

Premise The endangered shrub Daphne rodriguezii (Thymelaeaceae) is endemic to the Balearic island of Menorca, where fragmentation and severe population decline are ongoing threats to this taxon. We developed a set of microsatellite markers to analyze the fine‐scale genetics of its few extant populations. Methods and Results Fifteen microsatellite markers were obtained through Illumina high‐throughput sequencing and tested in two populations. Twelve of these loci showed no evidence of null alleles and were highly polymorphic, with a mean number of 8.3 alleles per locus. Levels of observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.100 to 0.952 and from 0.095 to 0.854, respectively. Seven to nine of these loci were successfully amplified in five other Daphne species. Conclusions This set of markers provides a useful tool for investigating the factors driving fine‐scale population structure in this threatened species, and it represents a novel genetic resource for other European Daphne species.