Exon-primed intron-crossing (EPIC) markers for evolutionary studies of Ficus and other taxa in the fig family (Moraceae).

ABSTRACT: The genus Ficus (fig trees) comprises ca. 750 species of trees, vines, and stranglers found in tropical forests throughout the world. Fig trees are keystone species in many tropical forests, and their relationship with host-specific wasp pollinators has received much attention, although many questions remain unresolved regarding the levels of host specificity, cospeciation, and the role of hybridization in fig and wasp speciation. We developed exon-primed intron-crossing (EPIC) markers to obtain phylogenetic resolution needed to address these questions. • Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from F. elastica were compared to Arabidopsis and Populus genomes to locate introns and to design primers in flanking exons. Primer pairs for 80 EPIC markers were tested in samples from divergent clades with

SUBMITTER: Yao X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4103470 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature