Abstract
PremiseMicrosatellite markers were developed in the federally endangered species Liatris helleri (Asteraceae) to evaluate species boundaries with closely related congeners within the genus.Methods and ResultsUsing Illumina data, 17 primer pairs were developed in populations of L. helleri. The primers amplified motifs from tri‐ to hexanucleotide repeats with one to 17 alleles per locus. Primers were also tested for cross‐amplification in L. aspera, L. microcephala, and L. pycnostachya.ConclusionsThe developed primers for L. helleri serve as a novel genetic tool for future investigations in this genus, allowing for more explicit species delineation as well as population genetic analyses.
Highlights
PREMISE: Microsatellite markers were developed in the federally endangered species Liatris helleri (Asteraceae) to evaluate species boundaries with closely related congeners within the genus
The developed primers for L. helleri serve as a novel genetic tool for future investigations in this genus, allowing for more explicit species delineation as well as population genetic analyses
Phenology in the genus occurs mostly in late summer through early fall, but periods of overlap in seasonal phenology even between the earliest and latest flowering species may facilitate hybridization in areas of sympatry (Levin, 1967). Morphological distinctions in this genus are not abundant and have led to somewhat blurry species delineation. This has been the case with L. helleri Porter and its closely related congener L. turgida Gaiser (Gaiser, 1946; Nesom, 2005a)
Summary
DNA was extracted from a single individual of L. helleri (BOON28026; Appendix 1) using a modified cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) method (Doyle and Doyle, 1987). One hundred and nineteen primer pairs were tested by amplifying under standard conditions in a group of seven individuals and a negative control. Seventeen of the primer pairs consistently amplified and produced chromatograms that were scored. Three of these markers (LH2, LH4, and LH24) were monomorphic (Table 1). The remaining 14 polymorphic markers produced from two to 17 alleles per locus with an average of 6.0 (Table 2). The excess of homozygotes indicated by a global exact test (P < 0.000) was not consistent across populations and could be due to the Wahlund effect caused by sampling very small subpopulations of this federally listed species (Table 2). Locus LH2 LH4 LH10 LH14 LH16 LH21 LH22 LH24 LH25 LH67 LH68 LH69 LH78 LH82 LH83 LH84 LH89
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