Development of microsatellite markers for Crepis mollis (Asteraceae).

Premise of the study: Polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed for the threatened species Crepis mollis (Asteraceae) to investigate population and conservation genetics. Methods and Results: Illumina sequencing was conducted on pooled genomic DNA from 10 individuals of two populations. Ten polymorphic and 10 monomorphic microsatellite loci with di-, tri-, tetra-, penta-, and hexanucleotide repeat motifs were developed and characterized in C. mollis. In the polymorphic markers, up to 17 alleles per locus were detected with an observed and expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.120 to 0.780 and 0.102 to 0.834, respectively. Furthermore, the polymorphic markers were tested for cross- amplification in three congeneric species (C. biennis, C. foetida, and C. sancta) and amplified in up to three loci. Conclusions: The markers developed in this study are the first microsatellites tested on C. mollis and will be useful for performing population and conservation genetic studies in this threatened species.