Author Correction: Small Neotropical primates promote the natural regeneration of anthropogenically disturbed areas.

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Small Neotropical primates promote the natural regeneration of anthropogenically disturbed areas.

Increasingly large proportions of tropical forests are anthropogenically disturbed. Where natural regeneration is possible at all, it requires the input of plant seeds through seed dispersal from the forest matrix. Zoochorous seed dispersal - the major seed dispersal mode for woody plants in tropical forests - is particularly important for natural regeneration. In this study, covering a period of more than 20 years, we show that small New World primates, the tamarins Saguinus mystax and Leontocebus nigrifrons, increase their use of an anthropogenically disturbed area over time and disperse seeds from primary forest tree species into this area. Through monitoring the fate of seeds and through parentage analyses of seedlings of the legume Parkia panurensis from the disturbed area and candidate parents from the primary forest matrix, we show that tamarin seed dispersal is effective and contributes to the natural regeneration of the disturbed area.

Characterization of 23 polymorphic SSR markers in Salix humboldtiana (Salicaceae) using next-generation sequencing and cross-amplification from related species.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: We present a set of 23 polymorphic nuclear microsatellite loci, 18 of which are identified for the first time within the riparian species Salix humboldtiana (Salicaceae) using next-generation sequencing. METHODS AND RESULTS: To characterize the 23 loci, up to 60 individuals were sampled and genotyped at each locus. The number of alleles ranged from two to eight, with an average of 4.43 alleles per locus. The effective number of alleles ranged from 1.15 to 3.09 per locus, and allelic richness ranged from 2.00 to 7.73 alleles per locus. CONCLUSIONS: The new marker set will be used for future studies of genetic diversity and differentiation as well as for unraveling spatial genetic structures in S. humboldtiana populations in northern Patagonia, Argentina.

Identification and characterization of 12 microsatellite loci in Cnidium dubium (Apiaceae) using next-generation sequencing.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: We present a set of 12 polymorphic nuclear microsatellite loci, identified for the first time within the herbaceous plant species Cnidium dubium (Schkuhr) Thell. using next-generation sequencing. METHODS AND RESULTS: To characterize these loci, 40 plants were analyzed genetically. The number of alleles ranged from 2 to 23, with an average of 8.3 alleles per locus. Mean observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.25 to 0.95 and 0.30 to 0.94, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: All 12 nuclear microsatellite loci showed scorable and polymorphic fragments after polymerase chain reaction. The new marker set can be used for future studies of genetic diversity and differentiation as well as estimation of gene flow and spatial genetic structures.

Characterization of nuclear microsatellite loci in the Neotropical tree Parkia panurensis (Fabaceae).

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: We present here a set of nine polymorphic nuclear microsatellite loci, identified for the first time within the neotropical legume tree species Parkia panurensis Benth. ex H. C. Hopkins, which is widespread in western and central Amazonia. METHODS AND RESULTS: To characterize these loci, 33 Parkia panurensis adult trees were analyzed. The number of alleles ranged from eight to 32, with an average of 14.4 alleles per locus. Mean expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.74 to 0.955. CONCLUSIONS: All nine loci could also be verified in six other Parkia species and polymorphic fragments amplified. The new marker set can be used for future studies of genetic diversity and differentiation, as well as estimation of gene flow and parentage analyses in various Parkia species.