Development and Evaluation of Microsatellite Markers for the Gynodioecious Shrub <i>Daphne jezoensis</i> (Thymelaeaceae)

Abstract

Premise of the study: Ten microsatellite markers were developed and characterized in a gynodioecious summer-deciduous shrub, Daphne jezoensis, to facilitate studies of the evolution of gynodioecy in the species. Methods and Results: We used a next-generation sequencing approach with the Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM) system to identify and develop microsatellite markers with perfect di- and trinucleotide repeats. These markers were tested with 47 samples from two natural populations. The mean observed and expected heterozygosities per population ranged from 0.40 to 0.46 and 0.60 to 0.66, respectively. Conclusions: The developed markers will be useful to study the mating system, gene flow, and population genetic structure of D. jezoensis.

Keywords

• Daphne jezoensis
• gynodioecy
• microsatellite
• Thymelaeaceae