Premise of the study: Adenophora palustris (Campanulaceae) is an endangered wetland plant species in Japan. Although it is widely distributed in East Asia, only six extant populations are known in Japan, with fewer than 1000 individuals in total. We developed 15 microsatellite markers for this species and confirmed their utility for the closely related species A. triphylla var. japonica.
Methods and results: Ten polymorphic loci were characterized for genetic variation within three populations of A. palustris. The number of alleles per locus ranged from four to 15, with an average of 9.3; the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.48 to 0.89, with an average of 0.74. Nine loci were successfully amplified in A. triphylla var. japonica, and three of these loci showed polymorphism.
Conclusions: These markers are useful for investigating genetic diversity and gene flow within and among remnant populations of A. palustris in Japan, and the results will provide crucial information for conservation.
Keywords: Adenophora palustris; Campanulaceae; endangered plant species; microsatellite; molecular marker.