Biology subjects

Kristoffersen, J. B.

Publications and source records attributed to Kristoffersen, J. B..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

A long-term ecological research data set from the marine genetic monitoring programme ARMS-MBON 2018-2020

Molecular methods such as DNA/eDNA metabarcoding have emerged as useful tools to document biodiversity of complex communities over large spatio-temporal scales. We established an international Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (ARMS-MBON) combining standardised sampling using autonomous reef monitoring structures (ARMS) with metabarcoding for genetic monitoring of marine hard-bottom benthic communities. Here, we present the data of our first sampling campaign comprising 56 ARMS units deployed in 2018-2019 and retrieved in 2018-2020 across 15 observatories along the coasts of Europe and adjacent regions. We describe the open-access data set (image, genetic, and metadata) and explore the genetic data to show its potential for marine biodiversity monitoring and ecological research. Our analysis shows that ARMS recovered more than 60 eukaryotic phyla capturing diversity of up to [~]5,500 amplicon sequence variants and [~]1,800 operational taxonomic units, and up to [~]250 and [~]50 species per observatory using the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and 18S rRNA marker genes, respectively. Further, ARMS detected threatened, vulnerable and non-indigenous species often targeted in biological monitoring. We show that while deployment duration does not drive diversity estimates, sampling effort and sequencing depth across observatories do. We recommend that ARMS should be deployed for at least three to six months during the main growth season to use resources as efficiently as possible and that post-sequencing curation is applied to enable statistical comparison of spatio-temporal entities. We suggest that ARMS should be used in biological monitoring programmes and long-term ecological research and encourage the adoption of our ARMS-MBON protocols.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2023

Near-chromosome level genome assembly of devil firefish, Pterois miles

Devil firefish (Pterois miles), a member of Scorpaenidae family, is one of the most successful marine non-native species, dominating around the world, that was rapidly spread into the Mediterranean Sea, through the Suez Canal, originating from the Indian Ocean. Even though lionfishes (Scorpaenidae) are identified among the most prosperous marine invaders, within this taxonomic group, the genomic resources are scant, while reference genome assemblies are totally absent. Here, we built and analyzed the first reference genome assembly of P. miles and explored its evolutionary background. The resulting genome assembly consisted of 660 contigs and scaffolds (N50 = 14,5 Mb) with a total size of about 902 Mb, while delivering 98% BUSCO completeness. We identified and described the large amount of transposable elements present in the genome and based on genomic data we constructed the first teleost phylogeny which includes a member of genus Pterois. The high-quality and contiguity de novo genome assembly built herein provides a valuable resource for future studies in species biology and ecology, lionfish phylogeny, the influence of transposable elements on the evolution of vertebrate genomes and fish toxins evolution.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2022

Chromosome assembly for the meagre, Argyrosomus regius, reveals species adaptations and sciaenid sex-related locus evolution

The meagre, Argyrosomus regius, has recently become a species of increasing economic interest for the Mediterranean aquaculture and there is ongoing work to boost production efficiency through selective breeding. Access to the complete genomic sequence will provide an essential resource for studying quantitative trait-associated loci and exploring the genetic diversity of different wild populations and aquaculture stocks in more detail. Here, we present the first complete genome for A. regius, produced through a combination of long and short read technologies and an efficient in-house developed pipeline for assembly and polishing. Scaffolding using previous linkage map data allowed us to reconstruct a chromosome level assembly with high completeness, complemented with gene annotation and repeat masking. We use this new resource to study the evolution of the meagre genome and other Sciaenids, via a comparative analysis of 25 high-quality teleost genomes. Combining a rigorous investigation of gene duplications with base-wise conservation analysis, we identify candidate loci related to immune, fat metabolism and growth adaptations in the meagre. Following phylogenomic reconstruction, we show highly conserved synteny within Sciaenidae. In contrast, we report rapidly evolving syntenic rearrangements and gene copy changes in the sex-related dmrt1 neighbourhood in meagre and other members of the family. These novel genomic datasets and findings will add important new tools for aquaculture studies and greatly facilitate husbandry and breeding work in the species.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2020

Building a high-quality reference genome assembly for the the eastern Mediterranean Sea invasive sprinter Lagocephalus sceleratus (Tetraodontiformes, Tetraodontidae)

The Tetraodontidae family encompasses several species which attract scientific interest in terms of their ecology and evolution. However, the genomic resources and especially reference assemblies are sparse for the members of the family. In this study, we focus on the silver-cheeked toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus) a well-known invasive sprinter that has invaded and spread throughout the Eastern and part of the Western Mediterranean Sea from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal within a decade. We sequenced the genome of L. sceleratus using a single MinION flow cell for the main assembly, and Illumina reads for polishing the assembly. The resulted assembly consisted of 241 contigs (N50 = 11,3 Mb) with a total size of 360 Mb and yielded 98% BUSCO completeness. The high-quality genome assembly built here is expected to set the ground for future studies on this focal species invasive biology.

genomics↗