CHARACTERIZATION OF MICROSATELLITE LOCI FOR AN AUSTRALIAN EPIPHYTIC ORCHID, DENDROBIUM CALAMIFORME, USING ILLUMINA SEQUENCING.

• Premise of the study: Microsatellite loci were developed for the epiphytic pencil orchid Dendrobium calamiforme for population genetic and phylogeographic investigation of this Australian taxon. • Methods and Results: Nineteen microsatellite loci were identified from an Illumina paired-end shotgun library of D. calamiforme. Polymorphism and genetic diversity were assessed in 24 individuals from five populations separated by a maximum distance of ∼80 km. All loci were polymorphic with two to 14 alleles per locus, expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.486 to 0.902, and probability of identity values ranging from 0.018 to 0.380. • Conclusions: These novel markers will serve as valuable tools for investigation of levels of genetic diversity as well as patterns of gene flow, genetic structure, and phylogeographic history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]