genetic resources of macroalgae: development of an efficient method using microsatellite markers in non-model organisms

Red and brown seaweeds are species with high ecological and economic importance. Here we report the feasibility of cost-effective molecular marker development in 6 species from different clades. Microsatellites markers of two brown seaweed species Alaria esculenta, Pylaiella littoralis, and of four red seaweed species Calliblepharis jubata, Gracilaria gracilis, Gracilaria dura and Palmaria palmata were identified and characterized using genomic sequences of Double-Digest Restriction site Associated DNA (ddRAD). A total of 64,623,186 reads were generated from two runs of multiplexed Illumina Miseq sequencing for which 30,636 reads containing microsatellites and 15,443 microsatellite loci with primers pairs were found. Five hundred seventy-six primers pairs were selected for amplification trials and levels of polymorphism. From the 338 that gave a positive amplification, 142 primers pairs were polymorphic. For genetic analyses two or three populations per species from 13 different geograp...