# Genome assembly catalog for species in the Japanese Red List: unlocking endangered biodiversity through genomic inventory

## TL;DR

This paper creates a genome data catalog for endangered species in Japan's Red List, revealing a low availability of genome sequences and suggesting future sequencing priorities.

## Contribution

The study provides a comprehensive analysis of genome assembly availability for Japanese Red List species, highlighting biases and guiding future sequencing efforts.

## Key findings

- Only 2.1% of species on the Japanese Red List have available whole genome sequences.
- Genome sequencing is biased toward mammals, birds, and vascular plants.
- Systematic limitations like sequencing costs for large genomes are identified.

## Abstract

Improvements in DNA sequencing technology are allowing the dramatic increase of whole genome data for a wide variety of species. Such genome sequence data can assist the monitoring of intraspecific genetic diversity, but is often lacking for threatened species. In this project, we focused on the national Red List, a catalog of extinct and threatened species, issued by the Japanese government. We combined the data included in it with the record of genome assembly in NCBI and tabulated the assembly availability of the species in the list. The combined data shows a low percentage (2.1%) of the availability of whole genome sequence data for the taxa ranked on the Japanese Red List as well as a strong bias towards mammals and birds in Animalia and vascular plants in Plantae. Our data presentation highlights potential systematic limitations in genome sequencing (e.g., budget for sequencing large genomes of amphibians) and instructs future policies including which taxon needs more effort for genome sequencing. The resultant tables are available in the original website
https://treethinkers.nig.ac.jp/redlist/ and are regularly updated.