Genetic diversity of the critically endangered Ferula sinkiangensis K.M.Shen (Apiaceae) and the implications for conservation

Research on the genetic diversity and structures of endangered plant species with small population sizes is a prerequisite for developing reasonable conservation strategies. Ferula sinkiangensis K.M.Shen is a critically endangered herbaceous perennial and monocarpic medical plant growing in semiarid steppe ecosystems with a small population size within the Yili Valley in Xinjiang, China. Unfortunately, the lack of genetic information has limited our ability to initiate effective conservation strategies for the species. In this study, 14 polymorphic microsatellite primers of F. sinkiangensis were developed and characterized using Illumina HiSeq paired-end reads from genomic DNA.