Abstract:
Ninu (greater bilby, Macrotis lagotis) are desert-dwelling, culturally and ecologically important marsupials. In collaboration with Indigenous rangers and conservation managers, we generated the Ninu chromosome-level genome assembly (3.66 Gbp) and genome sequences for the extinct Yallara (lesser bilby, Macrotis leucura). We developed and tested a scat single-nucleotide polymorphism panel to inform current and future conservation actions, undertake ecological assessments and improve our understanding of Ninu genetic diversity in managed and wild populations. We also assessed the beneficial impact of translocations in the metapopulation (N = 363 Ninu). Resequenced genomes (temperate Ninu, 6; semi-arid Ninu, 6; and Yallara, 4) revealed two major population crashes during global cooling events for both species and differences in Ninu genes involved in anatomical and metabolic pathways. Despite their 45-year captive history, Ninu have fewer long runs of homozygosity than other larger mammals, which may be attributable to their boom-bust life history. Here we investigated the unique Ninu biology using 12 tissue transcriptomes revealing expression of all 115 conserved eutherian chorioallantoic placentation genes in the uterus, an XY1Y2 sex chromosome system and olfactory receptor gene expansions. Together, we demonstrate the holistic value of genomics in improving key conservation actions, understanding unique biological traits and developing tools for Indigenous rangers to monitor remote wild populations.
摘要:
Ninu(大比尔比,Macrotislagotis)居住在沙漠中,具有重要文化和生态意义的有袋动物。与土著护林员和保护管理人员合作,我们为已灭绝的Yallara(较小的bilby,Macrotisleucura)。我们开发并测试了scat单核苷酸多态性小组,以告知当前和未来的保护行动,进行生态评估,提高我们对管理种群和野生种群中Ninu遗传多样性的理解。我们还评估了易位在群体中的有益影响(N=363Ninu)。重新测序的基因组(温带Ninu,6;半干旱的尼努,6;和Yallara,4)揭示了两个物种在全球降温事件期间的两个主要种群崩溃,以及涉及解剖和代谢途径的Ninu基因的差异。尽管他们有45年的圈养历史,Ninu的纯合性比其他大型哺乳动物要少,这可能归因于他们的繁荣与萧条的生活史。在这里,我们使用12个组织转录组研究了独特的Ninu生物学,揭示了子宫中所有115个保守的Eutherian绒毛尿囊胎盘基因的表达,XY1Y2性染色体系统和嗅觉受体基因扩增。一起,我们展示了基因组学在改善关键保护行动方面的整体价值,了解土著护林员独特的生物特征和开发工具,以监测偏远的野生种群。