Isolation of nuclear microsatellites in the African timber tree Lophira alata (Ochnaceae) and cross-amplification in L. lanceolata(1)

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Microsatellite markers were isolated in the rainforest tree Lophira alata (Ochnaceae), an important timber tree from Central Africa, and cross-amplified on its savannah counterpart, L. lanceolata. METHODS AND RESULTS: From a microsatellite-enriched library sequenced on a 454 GS FLX platform, 13 primer combinations were identified. Amplification was optimized in two multiplex reactions. The primers amplified di- and trinucelotide repeats, with two to seven alleles per locus. Eleven primers also amplified in L. lanceolata. CONCLUSIONS: Microsatellite primers developed for the genus Lophira displayed sufficient variation to investigate hybridization between congeneric species in the rainforest–savannah transition.