Development of chloroplast microsatellite markers for the endangered Maianthemum bicolor (Asparagaceae s.l.)1

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Ten polymorphic chloroplast microsatellite (cpSSR) markers were developed and characterized in an endemic and endangered herb, Maianthemum bicolor (Asparagaceae s.l.), for use in conservation genetics. METHODS AND RESULTS Primer sets flanking each of the 10 cpSSR loci in noncoding regions of the chloroplast genome of M. bicolor were designed. These cpSSR markers were tested on a total of 33 adult individuals from three natural populations in South Korea. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to three. The unbiased haplotype diversity per locus ranged from 0.061 to 0.682. All markers were successfully transferred to the congeneric species M. japonicum, M. bifolium, and M. dilatatum with polymorphisms among the species. CONCLUSIONS The developed cpSSR markers will be useful in assessing the genetic diversity and population structure of M. bicolor and will help to infer its molecular identification, thereby providing a basis for conservation.