Plastome of Quercus xanthoclada and comparison of genomic diversity amongst selected Quercus species using genome skimming

Abstract

The genus Quercus L. contains several of the most economically important species for timber production in the Northern Hemisphere. It was one of the first genera described, but genetic diversity at a global scale within and amongst oak species remains unclear, despite numerous regional or species-specific assessments. To evaluate global plastid diversity in oaks, we sequenced the complete chloroplast of Quercus xanthoclada and compared its sequence with those available from other main taxonomic groups in Quercus. We quantify genomic divergence amongst oaks and performed a sliding window analysis to detect the most variable regions amongst members of the various clades, as well as divergent regions occurring in specific pairs of species. We identified private and shared SNPs amongst oaks species and sections and stress the need for a large global assessment of genetic diversity in this economically and ecologically important genus.