Development and characterization of microsatellite markers for the French endemic Angelica heterocarpa (Apiaceae) and congeneric sympatric species

OBJECTIVE: Angelica heterocarpa (Apiaceae) is a wild endemic French species with special conservation interest in the European Union. It belongs to Angelica complex genus which is widespread throughout the north temperate zone, and is sympatric with other congeneric species. The objective of this work is to develop and characterize microsatellite markers as a new tool for understanding the ecology and evolution of Angelica species complex. RESULTS: We identified simple sequence repeat (SSR) regions in a microsatellite‐enriched library from A. heterocarpa and A. sylvestris. All 16 selected SSR regions were found to amplify in these species and were highly polymorphic. Marker transferability was validated in A. razulii and A. archangelica. These markers will help us to better understand the evolutionary dynamic between rare endemics and widespread sister species, and be useful for conservation of the endemic species. Moreover, they can provide new tools for studying the numerous traditional medicinal herbs of the Angelica genus.