Genome-wide analyses of the relict gull (Larus relictus): insights and evolutionary implications

BMC Genomics

Yuan Huang¹  Hao Yuan¹  Xuejuan Li¹  Chao Yang²  Qingxiong Wang³  Hong Xiao³ 

[1] College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, 710062, Xi’an, China;College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, 710062, Xi’an, China;Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, 710032, Xi’an, China;Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, 710032, Xi’an, China;

关键词: Whole-genome;    PacBio sequencing;    Larus relictus;    Habitat loss;    Population fragmentation;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12864-021-07616-z

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe relict gull (Larus relictus), was classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and is a first-class national protected bird in China. Genomic resources for L. relictus are lacking, which limits the study of its evolution and its conservation.ResultsIn this study, based on the Illumina and PacBio sequencing platforms, we successfully assembled the genome of L. relictus, one of the few known reference genomes in genus Larus. The size of the final assembled genome was 1.21 Gb, with a contig N50 of 8.11 Mb. A total of 18,454 genes were predicted from the assembly results, with 16,967 (91.94%) of these genes annotated. The genome contained 92.52 Mb of repeat sequence, accounting for 7.63% of the assembly. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using 4902 single-copy orthologous genes, which showed L. relictus had closest relative of L. smithsonianus, with divergence time of 14.7 Mya estimated between of them. PSMC analyses indicated that L. relictus had been undergoing a long-term population decline during 0.01-0.1 Mya with a small effective population size fom 8800 to 2200 individuals.ConclusionsThis genome will be a valuable genomic resource for a range of genomic and conservation studies of L. relictus and will help to establish a foundation for further studies investigating whether the breeding population is a complex population. As the species is threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, actions to protect L. relictus are suggested to alleviate the fragmentation of breeding populations.

【 授权许可】

CC BY