Microsatellite DNA loci from the drought desert plant Calligonum mongolicum Turcz. (Polygonaceae)

Abstract

Calligonum mongolicum Turcz. (Polygonaceae) is a typical drought desert plant which can tolerate extreme drought, cold, and other stress in the northern extreme drought desert of China. They are playing an important role in maintaining the local ecosystems in these regions. In order to understand the adaptive evolution and develop effective conservation methods of this species in the arid habitats, it is important to know its genetic structure. In this study, 14 polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized from an enrichment genomic library of this species. We further assessed the polymorphisms of each locus in 18 individuals from six geographically distant populations. The number of alleles per locus ranged from three to six. The observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.24 to 0.35 and 0.38 to 0.57, respectively. These markers have been crossed checked in another congeneric species, C. mongolicum. These microsatellite markers will be useful for investigating the genetic structure and devising conservation strategies of this species, and morphological divergence between and it and the closely related species.