Transferability of microsatellite markers across six Dalbergia (Fabaceae) species and their characterization for Dalbergia miscolobium

In this study, 18 microsatellite markers previously developed and characterized for two Dalbergia species (Dalbergia nigra and Dalbergia monticola) were tested for six other species of the genus: Dalbergia decipularis, Dalbergia ecastaphyllum, Dalbergia elegans, Dalbergia frutescens, Dalbergia miscolobium, and Dalbergia sissoo. All species except D. sissoo are native to Brazil, and some have high-quality timber. Among the tested loci, 14 showed successful amplification in at least two species, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) conditions were optimized for each of 8-12 transferred markers. Nine polymorphic loci were characterized for 50 individuals of two population of D. miscolobium. The total number of alleles for each locus ranged from 4 to 13. The observed and expected heterozygosity (He and Ho) ranged from 0.111 to 1.000 and from 0.108 to 0.842, respectively. All markers transferred from D. nigra and D. monticola in this study can be used to perform future population genetics studies of this important genus.