Microsatellites for Lindera species

Microsatellite markers were developed for conservation genetic studies of Lindera melissifolia (pondberry), a federally endangered shrub of southern bottomland ecosystems. Microsatellite sequences were obtained from DNA libraries that were enriched for the (AC) n simple sequence repeat motif. From 35 clone sequences, 20 primer pairs were designed and evaluated. Eleven primer pairs amplified polymorphic marker loci in pondberry while two did so in Lindera benzoin (spicebush). In 46 samples from a single pondberry site the number of microsatellite alleles ranged from two to 11 per locus with observed heterozygosity values of 0.07–0.91.