Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci in Ping's juniper Juniperus pingii

Juniperus pingii (Ping's juniper) is a threatened conifer species endemic to China, and a good knowledge of its population genetics would be essential to formulate effective conservation strategies. In this study, ten polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated, and characterized for their utility using 58 individuals from two geographically distinct populations. In population XGLL, the number of alleles per locus (N (A)) ranged from four to 11, with an average of 6.2 per locus; the observed (H (O)) and expected heterozygosity (H (E)) ranged from 0.205 to 0.854 and from 0.423 to 0.754, with an average of 0.347 and 0.527, respectively. In population BM, N (A), H (O) and H (E) ranged from four to eight, from 0.198 to 0.454 and from 0.339 to 0.853, with an average of 5.8, 0.294 and 0.556, respectively. Following the sequential Bonferroni correction, only one locus (Jp07) was found to deviate significantly from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium within population XGLL, and no significant linkage disequilibrium was detected in any of these loci within either population. These polymorphic microsatellite loci would be useful for population genetic studies of this conifer species.