LAUSR

Premise of the study: Microsatellite primers were developed for Begonia luzhaiensis (Begoniaceae) to assess genetic diversity and population genetic structure. Methods and Results: Based on the transcriptome data of B. luzhaiensis, 60 primer pairs were selected for initial validation, of which 16 yielded polymorphic microsatellite loci in 57 individuals. The number of alleles observed for these 16 loci ranged from one to nine. The observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.000 to 1.000 and from 0.000 to 0.804 with averages of 0.370 and 0.404, respectively. Five loci could be successfully amplified in B. leprosa. Conclusions: The expressed sequence tag–simple sequence repeat markers are the first specifically developed for B. luzhaiensis and the first developed in Begonia sect. Coelocentrum. These markers will be useful for future studies of the genetic structure and phylogeography of B. luzhaiensis.