Characterization of 19 polymorphic SSR markers in Spirodela polyrhiza (Lemnaceae) and cross-amplification in Lemna perpusilla.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Polymorphic microsatellite primers were developed for greater duckweed, Spirodela polyrhiza (Lemnaceae), to investigate genetic diversity and structure for application in a bioremediation program. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 401 publicly available S. polyrhiza whole-genome shotgun sequences were searched for simple sequence repeat loci of two or more nucleotides. Of these, 60 primer pairs were selected to analyze 68 individuals of S. polyrhiza from three populations. Nineteen polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed. A total of 108 alleles were detected with an average of 5.7 alleles per locus. The levels of expected and observed heterozygosity were 0.0511-0.8669 and 0-0.8750, respectively. Ten loci also successfully amplified in 16 individuals of Lemna perpusilla. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate the broad utility of these microsatellite loci for studying population genetics in S. polyrhiza.