Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in the invasive herb Solidago altissima (Asteraceae)(1)

• Premise of the study: Microsatellite markers were developed in the perennial herb Solidago altissima from populations within its introduced range in Japan to assess its population structure and to facilitate tracking of invasion expansion. • Methods and Results: Using 454 pyrosequencing, 16 microsatellite primer sets were developed for S. altissima. The primer sets were tested on 70 individuals sampled from three populations in Japan. The primers amplified di- and trinucleotide repeats with five to 25 alleles per locus, and the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.46 to 0.92. • Conclusions: These results indicate the utility of primers in S. altissima for future research on a wide range of applications, including tracking of invasion dynamics and investigating population genetics of the species.