Genetic Structure of Invasive Baby's Breath ( L.) Populations in a Michigan Dune System.

Coastal sand dunes are dynamic ecosystems with elevated levels of disturbance and are highly susceptible to plant invasions. One invasive plant that is of concern to the Great Lakes system is L. (perennial baby's breath).

Microsatellite primer development for the invasive perennial herb (Caryophyllaceae).

Premise Of The Study: (baby's breath; Caryophyllaceae) is a herbaceous perennial that has invaded much of northern and western United States and Canada, outcompeting and crowding out native and endemic species. Microsatellite primers were developed to analyze the genetic structure of invasive populations.

Methods And Results: We identified 16 polymorphic nuclear microsatellite loci for out of 73 loci that successfully amplified from a primer library created using Illumina sequencing technology.