Nuclear and chloroplast molecular markers for a tropical tree in dry forests

Abstract

The seasonal dry tropical forests (SDTFs) on limestone outcrops are peculiar formations subject to degradation by the removal of timber and exploitation of limestone for cement production. The species Ceiba pubiflora (Malvaceae) is conspicuous in limestone outcrops in Brazil. This work aimed to select nuclear primers Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) and chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) for application in studies aimed at genetic diversity and phylogeographic inferences in natural populations of C. pubiflora. After DNA extraction, the samples went through the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), electrophoresis and sequencing. We utilized a total of eight ISSR primers that exhibited the most optimal amplification profiles. This led to the identification of a combined total of 95 loci, along with the successful sequencing of five cpDNA regions, all achieving a satisfactory level of resolution. Thus, the selected molecular markers are suitable to study of the genetic diversity of populations and phylogeography of C. pubiflora and other species of the genus.