The Transferability of Nuclear Microsatellite Markers in Four Castanopsis Species to Castanopsis tibetana (Fagaceae)

Castanopsis tibetana is a typical and dominant component in subtropical evergreen broad leaved forests of China. However, its genetic diversity and long term persistence have been jeopardized by habitat fragmentation. To examine its genetic diversity and genetic structure, cross species amplification of 51 microsatellite loci which are derived from four congeneric species, ie., Castanopsis chinensis, Csclerophylla, Ccuspidata and Csieboldii, were tested in Ctibetana.Thirty five loci were successfully amplified in Ctibetana, among them 11 were polymorphic across four wild populations of Ctibetana (24 individuals in total). Genetic diversity of four Ctibetana populations (Jiangxi) was relatively low. The number of alleles (NA) ranged from 2 to 7 (average 45) and the ranges of observed (HO) and expected (HE) heterozygosities were 0505 and 0471，respectively. The results will facilitate the study and conservation of genetic diversity of Ctibetana.