title: Development and testing of new gene-homologous EST-SSRs for Eucalyptus gomphocephala (Myrtaceae).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  New microsatellite (simple sequence repeat [SSR]) primers were developed from Eucalyptus expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and optimized for genetic studies of the southwestern Australian tree E. gomphocephala, which is severely impacted by tree health decline and habitat fragmentation. •
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 133 gene-homologous EST-SSR primer pairs were designed for Eucalyptus, and 44 were screened in E. gomphocephala. Of these, 17 produced reliable amplification products and 11 were polymorphic. Between two and 13 alleles were observed per locus, and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.172 to 0.867. All 17 EST-SSRs that amplified E. gomphocephala cross-amplified to at least one of E. marginata, E. camaldulensis, and E. victrix. •
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This set of EST-SSR primer pairs will be valuable tools for future population genetic studies of E. gomphocephala and other eucalypts, particularly for studying gene-linked variation and informing seed-sourcing strategies for ecological restoration.
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6005, Australia ; Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Fraser Avenue, West Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bradbury
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6005, Australia ; Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Fraser Avenue, West Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smithson
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6005, Australia ; Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Fraser Avenue, West Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Siegfried L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Krauss
keywords: EST-microsatellite; Eucalyptus gomphocephala; Myrtaceae; SSR mining; ecologically important genetic variation; tuart