Genetic diversity and population structure of pedunculate oaks in Wytham Woods

Wytham Woods is among the world's best studied ecosystems and the longest experimental sites for ecology. Pedunculate oaks dominate this ecosystem, regulates many of its key ecosystem processes, and underpin changes in life cycles in animals that depend on them. However, oaks in this ecosystem have remained understudied, but observations on their phenological variation suggest that their genetic differences may be substantial. Understanding the genetic variability and structure of oaks at Wytham will be crucial to the understanding of many parallel ecological and evolutionary processes that are associated with the oaks, with implications for conserving and managing woodlands to sustain biodiversity.