title: Development of microsatellite markers in the hexaploid aquatic macrophyte, Myriophyllum spicatum (Haloragaceae).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We developed microsatellite primers to investigate genetic diversity and population genetic structure of the cosmopolitan submerged plant Myriophyllum spicatum. •
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty microsatellite loci were identified in M. spicatum using the microsatellite-enriched library method. The numbers of alleles per locus ranged from one to 13, and the expected heterozygosity varied from 0 to 0.873 with a mean of 0.504 in two Chinese populations of M. spicatum. All of the loci were also found to be amplifiable in the related species M. verticillatum and M. sibiricum. •
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that these markers will be significant for studies of population genetic structure and evolutionary history of M. spicatum as well as some of its related species.
authors.affiliation: National Field Station of Freshwater Ecosystem of Liangzi Lake, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Gang
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: National Field Station of Freshwater Ecosystem of Liangzi Lake, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: National Field Station of Freshwater Ecosystem of Liangzi Lake, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xin-Wei
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Xu
keywords: Haloragaceae; Myriophyllum spicatum; microsatellite markers; polyploid; population genetic structure