Isolation and Characterization of Microsatellite Loci from Amur Honeysuckle, <i>Lonicera maackii</i> (Caprifoliaceae)

Premise of the study: Lonicera maackii (Caprifoliaceae) is one of the most problematic invasive shrubs in forests of the eastern United States. Microsatellite markers could serve to test putative source-sink relationships among populations to determine whether invasions progress along expanding fronts or through long-distance dispersal events followed by local expansion. Methods and Results: Eleven microsatellite loci were developed for Amur honeysuckle using a modified magnetic bead protocol. Six loci were screened across 158 individuals from seven populations and were shown to be variable, with the number of alleles per locus ranging from seven to 16. Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.655 to 0.757. Five additional loci were screened using 68 individuals from three different populations, with seven to 12 alleles per locus and observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.682 and 0.831. Conclusions: These microsatellite markers will help to elucidate the genetic structure and patterns of dispersal of L. maackii in its invasive range