ArticleMolecular ecology resources2021
Reference genome and demographic history of the most endangered marine mammal, the vaquita.
Article in Molecular ecology resources, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 54 papers.
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Who cites it
54 citing papers in PubMed.
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- Long-term isolation and introgression shape the genomic distinctiveness of Rice's Whale.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Two Australian genome assemblies expand the genomic blueprint of giant kelp.BMC genomics · 2026Article
- Long-term small effective population size, inbreeding, and a recessive lethal haplotype drive premature death in the endangered Devils Hole pupfish (bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- A chromosome-level genome for gila trout (Oncorhynchus gilae) provides a novel resource for conservation and management.BMC genomics · 2026Article
- Genome assembly and annotation of a deep-diving pinniped, the northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris).The Journal of heredity · 2026Article
- The relationship between genomic variation and genetic load: insights from small island populations.Heredity · 2026Article
- Pressure-tolerant Evolution in Rhodopsin of Deep-diving Whales.Genome biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Genomic erosion across avian lineages in the context of their evolutionary history.Molecular biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Conservation genomics highlights the urgency of protecting Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) in Chinese waters.Science China. Life sciences · 2026Article
- Genome Shows no Recent Inbreeding in Near-Extinction Woolly Rhinoceros Sample Found in Ancient Wolf's Stomach.Genome biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Accessible, Realistic Genome Simulation with Selection Using stdpopsim.Molecular biology and evolution · 2025Article
- Exceedingly low genetic diversity in snow leopards due to persistently small population size.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Leveraging Synteny to Generate Reference Genomes for Conservation: Assembling the Genomes of Hector's and Māui Dolphins.Molecular ecology resources · 2025Article
- Accessible, realistic genome simulation with selection using stdpopsim.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- A high-quality genome assembly for a desert-adapted rodent, Merriam's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys merriami).The Journal of heredity · 2025Article
- Assembly of female and male hihi genomes (stitchbird; Notiomystis cincta) enables characterization of the W chromosome and resources for conservation genomics.Molecular ecology resources · 2025Article
- Genomes of two Extinct-in-the-Wild reptiles from Christmas Island reveal distinct evolutionary histories and conservation insights.Molecular ecology resources · 2025Article
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34 authors.
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Abstract
The vaquita is the most critically endangered marine mammal, with fewer than 19 remaining in the wild. First described in 1958, the vaquita has been in rapid decline for more than 20 years resulting from inadvertent deaths due to the increasing use of large-mesh gillnets. To understand the evolutionary and demographic history of the vaquita, we used combined long-read sequencing and long-range scaffolding methods with long- and short-read RNA sequencing to generate a near error-free annotated reference genome assembly from cell lines derived from a female individual. The genome assembly consists of 99.92% of the assembled sequence contained in 21 nearly gapless chromosome-length autosome scaffolds and the X-chromosome scaffold, with a scaffold N50 of 115 Mb. Genome-wide heterozygosity is the lowest (0.01%) of any mammalian species analysed to date, but heterozygosity is evenly distributed across the chromosomes, consistent with long-term small population size at genetic equilibrium, rather than low diversity resulting from a recent population bottleneck or inbreeding. Historical demography of the vaquita indicates long-term population stability at less than 5,000 (Ne) for over 200,000 years. Together, these analyses indicate that the vaquita genome has had ample opportunity to purge highly deleterious alleles and potentially maintain diversity necessary for population health.
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