ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MICROSATELLITE MARKERS IN THE RARE CLONAL PLANT, SPIRAEA VIRGINIANA (ROSACEAE)

Premise of the study: Microsatellite markers were developed in Spiraea virginiana, a federally threatened native shrub found along stream banks, to identify clonal genotypes and measure population genetic variability. Methods and Results: Eleven primer sets were developed using a non-radioactive protocol. These revealed a moderate level of genetic variation, as indicated by the number of alleles per locus (range = 1-4) and an average observed heterozygosity of 0.595. Select loci also amplified successfully in the related species Spiraea japonica. Conclusion: Development of the markers described here is critical for the genetic identification of clonal plants as a first step in demographic analyses, and is necessary for the future conservation of this rare species. Amplification of the markers in S. japonica suggests their potential utility in research regarding this species.