Development and characterization of microsatellite markers in Zanthoxylum ailanthoides (Rutaceae).

Nine microsatellite markers were developed for Zanthoxylum ailanthoides, a typical pioneer tree. Averaged over the nine loci, the number of alleles per locus was 5.1. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.233 to 0.833 and from 0.314 to 0.823, with averages of 0.606 and 0.641, respectively. No loci showed significant departures from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium or linkage equilibrium after Bonferroni correction (P > 0.05). These markers will be useful for parentage analyses and studies of population genetic structure in the species.