PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Microsatellite markers were characterized in the extremely specialized ephemeral wetland plant species Cyperus fuscus (Cyperaceae). The markers will be used for studying population genetics in natural vs. anthropogenic habitats, on a European scale, and the role of the soil seed bank in the life cycle of this ephemeral species. METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty-one microsatellite loci were established and scored in two populations, with mean number of alleles of 2.6 and 2.9 and mean expected heterozygosity of 0.405 and 0.470, respectively. Forty-four additional loci with the number of alleles ranging from one to four (mean = 2.1) were successfully amplified in seven individuals. CONCLUSIONS: The novel microsatellite markers will be useful for studying the genetic structure of populations of this ephemeral plant as well as their seed bank.

Department of Vegetation Ecology Institute of Botany Czech Academy of Sciences Lidická 25 27 602 00 Brno Czech Republic

Institute of Botany Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Gregor Mendel Straße 33 1180 Vienna Austria

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