Conservation Biology

We are currently experiencing the planet’s sixth mass extinction event. The preservation of biological diversity could be considered the single most important responsibility of mankind. As human-based pressures continue to threaten natural ecosystems, there has never been a greater need for actionable tools to monitor, preserve and enhance biodiversity.

A high-quality genome assembly is a crucial tool for conservation biologists striving to preserve threatened or at-risk species. An accurate and contiguous genome assembly can assist in the study of:

• Inbreeding depression
• Admixture and introgression
• Maintenance of population diversity
• Hybrid speciation
• Disease susceptibility
• Behavioral ecology
• Identification of adaptive alleles
• Genetic rescue

De novo genome assemblies have traditionally been pseudo-haploid in nature. Newer, more accurate long read sequencing coupled with unbiased, restriction-enzyme-free proximity ligation technology is enabling high-quality haplotype-resolved genome assemblies from a single individual. Phased haplotype blocks are now chromosome scale further empowering genetic analyses in plants and animals.

At Dovetail®, we are continually looking for ways to enrich our datasets to provide our customers with genome assemblies that will stand the test of time. Our newest workflow includes PacBio HiFi long reads assembled using HiFiasm and Omni-C long range proximity ligation data. The resulting two haplotype-resolved assemblies are then scaffolded to chromosome-scale using Dovetail’s proprietary HiRise software. Haplotype-resolved assemblies offer many advantages for genomic-based studies in conservation. Please see this blog post for more details.

Outsource your genome assembly to the experts at Dovetail. We will deliver a highly accurate and contiguous haplotype-resolved assembly that you can trust.

• Proprietary sample-to-publishable assembly workflow
• PacBio^® HiFi^® long reads plus Omni-C scaffolding for high-quality haplotype-resolved assembly
• Bespoke annotation pipeline with manual curation for optimal accuracy
• Dedicated Project Manager for pre- and post-project support