Premise of the study: A set of cpSSR markers were developed for the tree genus Liriodendron L. to investigate population genetic structure and phylogeographic history.
Methods and results: Primers were designed directly from the chloroplast genome sequences of Liriodendron tulipifera. Among the 55 cpSSR markers tested, 11 polymorphic markers were identified in L. tulipifera. The number of alleles in the population tested ranged from two to five, and the unbiased haploid diversity per locus ranged from 0.074 to 0.644. Eighteen primer pairs generated polymorphic amplification in L. chinense. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to seven, and the unbiased haploid diversity per locus was from 0.250 to 0.964.
Conclusions: cpSSR markers developed here will be useful for phylogeography and population genetics studies of Liriodendron.