Microsatellite markers isolated from saltgrass (Distichlis spicata)

OLGA V. TSYUSKO¹, MAUREEN B. PETERS¹, TRACEY D. TUBERVILLE¹, CRIS HAGEN¹,
SARAH M. EPPLEY², and TRAVIS C. GLENN^1,3

¹Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, PO Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA
²Department of Biology, Portland State University, PO Box 751 Portland, OR 97207, USA
³Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29802, USA

Abstract: Twelve polymorphic microsatellite DNA loci were isolated from saltgrass (Distichlis spicata) and optimized for future studies of its breeding system. The loci were screened for variability among 24 individuals from two populations. The primers amplified loci with numbers of alleles ranging from four to 14 per locus and polymorphic information content from 0.481 to 0.951. Observed heterozygosity varied from 0.227 to 0.958.