Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in a mangrove species, Rhizophora stylosa (Rhizophoraceae)

Ten microsatellite markers were isolated from a mangrove species, Rhizophora stylosa (Rhizophoraceae), a widely distributed mangrove plant in the Indo-West Pacific. We tested the variability of the markers on 15-16 individuals of R. stylosa from each of four populations (totaling 63 individuals) and found one to six alleles per locus and population. The range of expected heterozygosity of these markers was 0.000-0.754 in these populations. Cross-species amplification was examined for four congeneric species, R. mucronata, R. apiculata, R. mangle and R. racemosa. Of the ten markers, nine could be amplified in R. mucronata and R. apiculata, and seven in R. mangle and R. racemosa. Seven of them could be used for both Indo-West Pacific species and Atlantic-East Pacific species. Amplification by polymerase chain reaction was optimized under the same parameters across loci, thereby facilitating multiplexing and rapid multi-locus genotyping.