Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers for Zostera marina and their cross-species amplification in Zostera caespitosa

Abstract

Zostera marina is the most wide-ranging marine flowering plant in Northern Hemisphere. It helps to physically form the habitat and provides food for a variety of marine organisms. Nineteen polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed and characterized in 45 individuals from Shandong Peninsula (Northwest Pacific). The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 6. The observed and expected heterozygosity per locus ranged from 0.11 to 0.83 and from 0.11 to 0.74, respectively. Two loci were deviated from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium and in linkage disequilibrium, respectively. Only one locus (Pzm75) showed evidence for null alleles. Twelve loci were cross-species amplification in a vulnerable seagrass species Zostera caespitosa.