Beech genome resource

The European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) is the dominant climax tree species in Central Europe. It is a deciduous tree growing up to 50 m tall, planted widely throughout Europe for its valuable wood. The European Beech is found in the lowlands in Northern and Central Europe, but reaches up to more than 2000 m in the mountain ranges of Southern Europe. European Beech can reach an age of more than 500 years and provide habitat for numerous fungi, insects and birds. Bud samples of the sequenced specimen (Bhaga) were taken from a stand never managed in terms of forestry of the National Park Kellerwald Edersee, from an individual estimated to be more than 300 years old, to avoid influence from modern forestry. Genomic DNA was sequenced using Hi-C, SMRT, PromethIon and illumina sequencing. RNA samples from the same batch were used for transcriptome sequencing, both enriched for mRNA and ribosome-depleted RNA without mRNA pre-selection. An initial draft genome followed by both organelle genomes and a telomere-to-telomere chromosome-level assembly were constructed. The organelle insertion into the genome, repeat diversity across the different chromosomes and detailed telomeric and centromeric organisation were studied.