Development of microsatellite markers for the perennial plant Tofieldia calyculata

PREMISE: Polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed to study genetic diversity and genetic structure of populations of the locally endangered species Tofieldia calyculata (Tofieldiaceae). METHODS AND RESULTS: Nineteen polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed using DNA‐enriched libraries sequenced by Ilumina technology and were then used to genotype 101 individuals from five populations from Austria, Slovakia, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Of the markers tested, 68% were polymorphic in four of the five investigated populations, with one marker polymorphic in all populations. The number of alleles per locus in the populations ranged from one to 11. Levels of observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.00 to 0.75 and from 0.00 to 0.84, respectively. Moreover, six of the 19 loci amplified when tested in the congeneric species T. pusilla. CONCLUSIONS: The 19 newly developed microsatellite markers can be used to describe genetic diversity and population structure of populations of T. calyculata.