Identification and characterization of nuclear microsatellite loci in the aquatic moss Platyhypnidium riparioides (Brachytheciaceae).

Eight microsatellite loci from the aquatic moss Platyhypnidium riparioides were identified using the method of microsatellite-enriched libraries. Polymorphism was assessed in a sample of four populations of 20 individuals each from four streams of the Meuse hydrographic basin in southern Belgium. The markers amplified three to seven alleles per locus. Comparison of observed and expected heterozygosities as well as F-statistics (F(ST)  = 0.62) reveals a significant genetic differentiation among populations. These markers will be useful for further investigation of population genetic structure and diversity at different nested spatial scales.