Polymorphic microsatellite loci for Virola sebifera (Myristicaceae) derived from shotgun 454 pyrosequencing

Abstract

<h4>Premise of the study</h4>Polymorphic microsatellite loci were characterized in the dioecious neotropical rainforest tree Virola sebifera. The markers will be used to study ecological and genetic impacts of hunting and landscape change in this vertebrate-dispersed, insect-pollinated tree species.<h4>Methods and results</h4>Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were screened from genomic libraries of South American V. sebifera obtained by shotgun 454 pyrosequencing. Primer pairs were tested on Panamanian samples (N = 42). Approximately 52% of the 61 tested SSR markers amplified, and 16% were polymorphic. Ten selected polymorphic SSR loci contained seven to 15 alleles per locus, and polymorphic information content averaged 0.694. Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.465 to 0.905, and expected heterozygosity was between 0.477 and 0.876.<h4>Conclusions</h4>The 10 polymorphic loci will be useful in studying gene flow and genetic structure at local and regional spatial scales in V. sebifera.