Characterization of twenty-six microsatellite markers for the tropical pioneer tree species Cecropia insignis Liebm (Urticaceae)

Cecropia insignis is an ecologically important Neotropical pioneer tree and major vertebrate food source. Although this species is relatively common in faunally intact tropical rainforests, its population dynamics may be negatively impacted by hunting of seed-dispersing animals. To better understand gene flow and regeneration dynamics in C. insignis, we characterized 26 microsatellite markers in a population sampled from Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Eleven loci of ≥3 alleles were tested on 48 individuals, whereas the remaining 15 loci of two alleles were tested on 12 individuals. Allelic richness ranged from 2 to 9 per locus. Observed and expected heterozygosity averaged 0.478 and 0.440 respectively. Polymorphism information content was between 0.141 and 0.757. Only two loci exhibited deviation from Hardy–Weinberg proportions.