MICROSATELLITE POLYMORPHISM IN DIOSCOREA-TOKORO, A WILD YAM SPECIES

Six microsatellite loci were characterized in Dioscorea tokoro, a wild yam species in East Asia. All six loci were polymorphic in a sample o f 23 individuals from natural populations in Japan. The microsatellite loci displayed many alleles (6.2 alleles per locus on average), and t he observed heterozygosity (H-o = 0.54) as well as expected heterozygo sity (H-e = 0.68) were high. The heterozygosities were far more than t hat previously detected by allozyme analysis of D. tokoro (H-o = 0.23, H-e = 0.28). Five microsatellite loci were sufficient to provide a pa ternity exclusion rate (Q) of Q = 0.98, which enables monitoring of th e pollen-mediated gene flow between plants in a population. Microsatel lite loci are abundant and highly polymorphic in D. tokoro and other p lants and are therefore ideal markers for plant population genetic stu dies.