Development and characterization of microsatellite primers in the federally endangered Astragalus bibullatus (Fabaceae)(1)

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Microsatellites were developed for Astragalus bibullatus (Fabaceae), a federally endangered narrow endemic, to investigate reproductive ecology and species boundaries among closely related taxa. METHODS AND RESULTS: Next-generation sequencing was used to develop 12 nuclear microsatellite loci that amplify in A. bibullatus, as well as in A. crassicarpus var. trichocalyx, A. gypsodes, and A. tennesseensis. Identified loci were di- and trinucleotide repeats, with 1–15 alleles per locus. Observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.000–0.938 and 0.000–0.860, respectively. Cross-amplification of three loci previously published in A. michauxii was also confirmed for the taxa included here. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate the utility of novel microsatellite loci for conservation genetics and reproductive ecology in closely related Astragalus species.