Characterisation and inheritance of polymorphic plastid microsatellites in Abies

Two polymorphic microsatellite loci were identified and sequenced in the genus Abies, using primer pairs derived from chloroplast simple sequence repeats (SSRs) of Pinus thunbergii. PCR products exhibited considerable length variation among six different Abies species and within Abies alba. F-1 progeny of both an interspecific and an intraspecific reciprocal cross confirmed that the two SSRs were predominantly paternally inherited. The maternal size variant predominantly occurred in the megagametophytes analysed. First analysis of the two chloroplast microsatellites in seven natural populations of A. alba revealed 36 different haplotypes. The use of these highly polymorphic SSRs as potential markers in population genetics is discussed.