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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.05.18.726060

Near chromosome-level genome assembly for the invasive annual forb Centaurea melitensis

Dant, A.·Pelosi, J.·Northing, P. C.·Dlugosch, K. M.
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Abstract

PremiseCentaurea melitensis (Asteraceae) is a problematic invader of grasslands globally, but little is known about its genetic makeup. Here we develop a reference genome to facilitate studies of its invasion history, genetic variation, and evolution. MethodsInbred offspring of a single individual of C. melitensis from its invasion of California, USA were used for flow cytometry to estimate genome size, and for genomic DNA extraction. DNA was sequenced with PacBio HiFi technology (yield = 85.7Gb). The genome was assembled with Hifiasm and annotated with BRAKER3. GENESPACE was used to compare gene order (synteny) with three other species within the subfamily Cichorioideae. ResultsWe estimated a mean genome size of 795.0 Mbp for C. melitensis, and our assembly totaled 696.6 Mbp in 48 contigs (N50 = 55.6 Mbp; BUSCO = 98%), with annotation of 25,157 protein-encoding genes. This included four telomere-to-telomere putative chromosomes, nine additional chromosome arms terminated by telomeric repeats, and a complete chloroplast genome. Synteny varied markedly across the genus and subfamily, suggesting a dynamic history of structural variation in the lineage of C. melitensis. DiscussionWe provide a highly complete and contiguous genome assembly to facilitate the further study of genomic variation in C. melitensis.

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Dant, A., Pelosi, J., Northing, P. C., Dlugosch, K. M.. 2026-05-20. Near chromosome-level genome assembly for the invasive annual forb Centaurea melitensis. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.05.18.726060

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