PERMANENT GENETIC RESOURCES: Development of microsatellite markers of the Mexican understorey palm Chamaedorea elegans, cross-species genotyping, and amplification in congeners.

With striking morphological diversity and adaptability, Chamaedorea palms constitute an ecologically and economically important understorey component of Neotropical forests. Nine loci developed for Chamaedorea elegans evaluated in three Veracruz populations resulted in a large number of alleles (8-18), and high expected heterozygosity (0.49-0.92), but low observed (0.27-0.65) heterozygosity. Deviations from Hardy-Weinberg and high inbreeding suggest a lack of panmixia. Eight loci optimized for Chamaedorea ernesti-augustii showed similar patterns of variation. All nine multiplexing loci amplified in other five congeneric species, which will facilitate comparisons within the genus and contribute to the conservation of its genetic resources.