A set of primers for amplification of mitochondrial DNA in Picea abies and other conifer species

Thirteen primer pairs generating intraspecific length and/or presence-absence polymorphism in Picea abies have been obtained from a P. abies mtDNA library, using different methodologies (agarose gel electrophoresis, polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), single-strand conformation (SSCP). Polymorphism tests were extended successfully to other Picea species (P. omorika, P. engelmanii and P. glauca) and species belonging to other conifer genera (Abies alba, Larix laricina and Pinus pinaster). This set of PCR-based mitochondrial markers can provide promising tools for studying phylogeography or phylogeny in P. abies and other conifer species in which the mt genome is generally the only one to be transmitted via the female gamete.