Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in Pitcairnia albiflos (Bromeliaceae), an endemic bromeliad from the Atlantic Rainforest, and cross‐amplification in other species

Abstract

Eight microsatellite markers were isolated from Pitcairnia albiflos, an endangered endemic bromeliad species restricted to 'inselberg' rock outcrops in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The number of alleles observed for each locus ranged from two to 12. Average observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.408 and 0.663, respectively. The cross-amplification test in 16 taxa suggests that the markers will be useful in numerous related bromeliad species. The loci will be used to study genetic structure and reproductive biology in fragmented inselberg populations and the origin and maintenance of barriers to gene flow between sympatric Pitcairnia species.

Transferability and characterization of microsatellite markers in five Bromeliaceae species belonging to the subfamilies Pitcairnioideae and Bromelioideae

“…Moreover, significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were observed in some loci in population samples of the five bromeliad species. Similar results were reported by many authors in cross amplification studies using SSR markers for different species (Sarthou et al 2003, Paggi et al 2008, Nazareno et al 2009). In most cases, this can be attributed to the existence of null alleles (alleles not amplified in some genotypes) or to sampling errors, causing the Wahlund effect.…”

“…Considering only the polymorphic loci, the number of alleles per locus ranged between two and four for most of the species (Table 2). These findings differ from those obtained by Sarthou et al (2003) and Paggi et al (2008), regarding the number of alleles detected and the size of fragments generated. According to Wang et al (2009), this may have occurred because of the different methodologies used, namely capillary electrophoresis in the genotyping studies where these markers were originally described and agarose gel electrophoresis, in the present study.…”

“…In P. flammea, there was positive amplification to 10 (76.92%) microsatellites loci, of which only three were monomorphic, in A. Nudicaulis, six (46.15%) markers generated amplification products, since in five of them polymorphism was detected, to A. ramosa and B. horrida, eight (61.53%) markers were successfully amplified, with only one monomorphic locus and, in B. euphemiae, nine (69.23%) markers generated positive results, as in seven polymorphism was detected. Paggi et al (2008) used the same markers previously developed for P. albiflos (subfamily Pitcairnioideae) to test cross amplification in 16 other bromeliad species, six of which belong to subfamily…”

“…Five markers of microsatellite loci previously developed for Pitcairnia geysksii (Sarthou et al 2003) and eight to Pitcairnia albiflos (Paggi et al 2008) (Table 1) Biota Neotrop.,vol. 12,no.…”

“…SSR markers can be transferred between related species and genera, which considerably reduces their costs (Ferreira & Grattaplaglia 1998). SSR transferability has been reported to many families of plants, including Fabaceaea (Peakall et al 1998, Kölliker et al 2001) Cucurbitaceae (Katzir et al 1996), Poaceae (Saghai Maroof et al 1994, Röder et al 1995, Thiel et al 2003, Solanaceae , Smulders et al 1997, Nagy et al 2007, Moon et al 2008; Euphorbiaceae (Yu et al 2011) and Bromeliaceae (Sarthou et al 2003, Paggi et al 2008. Thus, in this paper eight microsatellite markers previously developed for Pitcairnia albiflos and five markers developed for Pitcairnia geysksii were used in cross-amplification tests of five other neotropical Bromeliaceae species (Pitcairnia flammea, Aechmea nudicaulis, Aechmea ramosa, Billbergia horrida and Billbergia euphemiae).…”