Development of EST-SSR markers for the invasive plant Tithonia diversifolia (Asteraceae)1

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Tithonia diversifolia (Asteraceae) is an invasive plant species that can outcompete natives and thus poses a great threat to biodiversity in introduced areas. Here, expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers were developed and characterized. METHODS AND RESULTS Sixteen polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated from T. diversifolia using transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatic screening. The number of alleles per locus varied from two to four alleles in 48 individuals from three populations. Most of these primers also amplified in T. rotundifolia and some even in Parthenium hysterophorus. CONCLUSIONS These markers are useful for investigating the genetic structure and evolutionary process of T. diversifolia, which may provide important information for better management.