ddRAD-seq generated genomic SNP dataset of Central and Southeast European Turkey oak (Quercus cerris L.) populations

Turkey oak (Quercus cerris L.) is one of the ecologically and economically most important deciduous tree species in the Central and Southeast European regions. The species distribution range covers hundreds of thousands of hectares throughout the Apennine and Balkan Peninsula, the Carpathian Basin to Asia Minor. Turkey oak has long been known exhibit high levels of genetic and phenotypic variation. Recent predictions on climate responses of this species suggest a significant extension of its distribution in Europe under climate change. Since Turkey oak has relative drought-tolerant behavior, it is regarded as a potential alternative for other forest tree species during forestry climate adaptation efforts, not only in its native regions but in Western Europe as well.  For this reason, the survey of existing genetic variability, genetic resources and adaptability of this species has great importance. Next-generation sequencing approaches, such as ddRAD-seq (Double digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing), allow for obtaining high-resolution genome-wide simple nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Based on thousands of SNP markers the genetic structure of populations and the genetic background of adaptation processes can be studied in far more depth than ever before. In this study, we provide highly variable genome-wide SNP data belonging to Turkey oak for the first time. This dataset comprises the SNP data of 88 individuals of eight populations, two from Bulgaria, one from Kosovo and five from Hungary, respectively. The high-resolution genome-wide markers are suitable to infer genetic diversity, differentiation, population structure and to investigate selection and local adaptation. The dataset accessible at: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7568727