Isolation and characterization of 15 microsatellite loci in four endangered Amentotaxus species (Taxaceae)

? Premise of the study: Fifteen microsatellite loci were developed in an endangered species, Amentotaxus formosana, and were tested in an additional three species, A. argotaenia, A. yunnanensis, and A. poilanei, to evaluate the population structure for conservation efforts and reconstruct the phylogeographic patterns of this ancient lineage. ? Methods and Results: Polymorphic primer sets were developed from A. formosana; the number of alleles ranged from two to 10, with an observed heterozygosity ranging from 0 to 0.60. All of the loci were found to be interspecifically amplifiable. ? Conclusions: These polymorphic and transferable loci will be potentially useful for future studies that will focus on identifying distinct genetic units within species and establishing the phylogeographic patterns and the process of speciation among closely related species.