Characterization of Microsatellite Loci for an Endangered Plant, Warea amplexifolia

• Published in: The American midland naturalist Vol. 183; no. 2; pp. 268 - 272
• Main Authors: Emoto, Jessica L, Ricono, Angela, Peterson, Cheryl L, Pruett, Christin L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Notre Dame University of Notre Dame 01.04.2020; University of Notre Dame, Department of Biological Sciences; American Midland Naturalist
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Endangered plants; Endangered species; Endemic plants; Endemic species; Environmental protection; Genetic diversity; Genetics; Habitat fragmentation; Habitat loss; Habitats; Heterozygosity; Land management; Loci; Nonnative species; Notes and Discussion Piece; Plant conservation; Plant species; Polymorphism; Population; Population genetics; Population studies; Recovery; Urban development; Warea amplexifolia; Wildlife conservation; United Kingdom > UK; Florida; United States > US; Bok Tower Gardens; Wales
• ISSN: 0003-0031; 1938-4238
• DOI: 10.1637/0003-0031-183.2.268

Clasping Warea (Warea amplexifolia) is a critically endangered plant species endemic to Florida. It is threatened due to habitat loss through urban development and poor land management, resulting in habitat fragmentation and small population sizes. To aid recovery strategies, information is needed on the genetic diversity among and within populations. We identified fourteen microsatellite loci that were polymorphic in W. amplexifolia and in the related W. sessilifolia, and nine loci that were polymorphic in W. cuneifolia. In W. amplexifolia, the number of alleles per microsatellite locus varied between four and 15, with observed heterozygosity in the range of 0.10 to 0.73. These newly identified markers will be used to inform recovery efforts for W. amplexifolia and may also be useful for studies of the population genetics of closely related taxa.