Disomic segregation of microsatellites in the tetraploid Prunus serotina Ehrh. (Rosaceae)

Tetraploid black cherry (Prunus serotina) is the only Prunus L. species that has commercial importance as a timber tree in North America and is well known in Europe for its invasive behavior. Inheritance studies have never been performed and it is not known whether the species is allo or autotetraploid. Six microsatellite nuclear markers were used to test the inheritance in progenies of controlled crosses. Inheritance was proven to be disomic at all loci and a typical diploid mendelian inheritance was found at two loci. A first screening of a population in the invasive range showed high number of alleles per locus (ranging from 6 to 16) and high level of observed heterozygosity (0.75 to 1). Knowing that inheritance is disomic at six microsatellite loci and that at least two of them can be treated as codominant, diploid markers will be beneficial for future genetic studies.