title: Development and characterization of 10 microsatellite loci in the giant cardon cactus, Pachycereus pringlei (Cactaceae).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Microsatellite primers were developed for the cardon, a giant columnar cactus (Pachycereus pringlei) of the Sonoran Desert, to investigate intraspecific genetic patterns of diversity and population structure. •
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using 454 GS-FLX technology and bioinformatics tools, microsatellite primers were successfully identified on 282 reads, including di-, tri-, tetra-, penta-, and hexanucleotides. A set of 10 primers were characterized on 80 individuals collected in two areas of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico. All 10 loci were polymorphic, with a mean of 6.3 alleles per locus and overall levels of observed and expected heterozygosities ranging from 0.41 to 0.59 and from 0.40 to 0.57, respectively. Alleles per individual plant ranged from one to four, suggesting a polyploidal genome. •
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These loci should be useful for future investigations of population structure, genetic diversity, and gene flow in the cardon cactus.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Genética para la Conservación, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR), Instituto Politécnico Nacional 195, Col. Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz, Baja California Sur 23096, Mexico.
authors.forename: Carina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez Flores
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Genética para la Conservación, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR), Instituto Politécnico Nacional 195, Col. Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz, Baja California Sur 23096, Mexico.
authors.forename: O Adrian
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Lozano Garza
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Genética para la Conservación, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR), Instituto Politécnico Nacional 195, Col. Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz, Baja California Sur 23096, Mexico.
authors.forename: José L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: León de la Luz
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Genética para la Conservación, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR), Instituto Politécnico Nacional 195, Col. Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz, Baja California Sur 23096, Mexico.
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: García de León
keywords: Cactaceae; Pachycereus pringlei; microsatellites; pyrosequencing