Genetic diversity of SNP loci in populations of oak in the southern forest-steppe zone of Russia

The level of genetic diversity of populations of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) of the southern part of the forest-steppe zone of Russia was studied using 79 SNP loci, developed on the base of the new generation DNA sequencing technology ddRAD. Despite the significant decrease of the area of oak forests in the agricultural period, populations from the Lipetsk, orel and Penza regions maintain a comparatively high and relatively similar levels of genetic diversity (observed heterozygosity HO = 0.319-0.344, expected heterozygosity HE = 0.317-0.342, allelic diversity иа = 1.537-1.561). The observed distribution of genotypes corresponds to the frequencies expected by the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the inbreeding coefficient varies from F = - 0.019 to = F = + 0.011. The genetic distance of Gregorius between the samples Orel and Penza (d0 = 0.138), which are geographically the most distant from each other, were statistically significant. The results obtained are discussed in regard to the dynamics of oak forests in the historical past and to problems of conservation and rational use of the gene pool of local populations.