Premise of the study: Protorhus deflexa is an endemic large-seeded tree in Madagascar that depends heavily on insects for cross-pollination and on large-bodied frugivores for seed dispersal. Because such mutualistic relationships are vulnerable to human disturbance, the development of microsatellite markers will enhance analyses of gene flow in this tree species in degraded forests. •
Methods and results: Nineteen microsatellite markers were developed for P. deflexa using 454 pyrosequencing. The number of alleles ranged from two to nine, and the ranges of observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.200-0.800 and 0.303-0.821, respectively. The parentage exclusion probability by the 19 loci reached 0.98583 for the first parent and 0.99971 for the second parent. •
Conclusions: These markers will be useful for studying gene flow via pollination and seed dispersal by animals and the genetic structure of P. deflexa in protected and degraded forests in Madagascar.
Keywords: 454 pyrosequencing; Anacardiaceae; Protorhus deflexa; large-seeded plants; microsatellite.