Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in Asarum leucosepalum (Aristolochiaceae), an endangered plant endemic to Tokunoshima Island in the Ryukyu Archipelago

Thirteen microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized for Asarum leucosepalum, an endangered endemic plant on the subtropical island of Tokunoshima in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. The number of alleles ranged from 4 to 21. The expected (HE) and observed (HO) heterozygosities were 0.476–0.939 and 0.428–0.781, respectively, for 32 individuals. Two loci exhibited significantly fewer heterozygotes than expected under Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P < 0.05). In addition, 12 of the 13 loci were successfully amplified in Asarum fudsinoi, another insular endangered plant of the Ryukyu Islands. The primers amplifying microsatellites in these species may be useful for population genetic conservation studies of Asarum species.