Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY: We developed microsatellite primers for the tropical tree Chrysophyllum cainito (Sapotaceae) to determine the native range of the species, investigate the origin of cultivated populations, and examine the partitioning of genetic diversity in wild and cultivated populations. • METHODS AND RESULTS: We developed 10 polymorphic primers from C. cainito genomic DNA libraries enriched for di-, tri-, and tetranucleotide repeat motifs. The loci amplified were polymorphic in samples collected from Jamaica and Panama. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to 10 and three to 12, while observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.074 to 0.704 and 0.407 to 0.852 in Jamaica and Panama, respectively. • CONCLUSIONS: The microsatellite primers will be useful in future population genetic studies as well as those aimed at understanding the geographic origin(s) of wild and cultivated populations.