# A near chromosome-level assembly of the serpentine endemic columbine, Aquilegia eximia

## TL;DR

This paper presents a high-quality genome assembly for the serpentine soil specialist Aquilegia eximia, a California endemic plant, to support biodiversity and genomic studies.

## Contribution

The study provides a near-chromosome-level genome assembly for A. eximia using advanced sequencing technologies.

## Key findings

- The A. eximia genome shows improved contiguity compared to the A. coerulea reference genome.
- A. eximia shares the same genome structure with A. coerulea and A. vulgaris, differing from A. oxysepala by a reciprocal translocation.
- The new genome will enhance population genomic and trait mapping studies for California columbines.

## Abstract

The flowering plant genus Aquilegia (columbine) is an important contributor to biodiversity and an example of both biotic and abiotic niche adaptation across much of the Northern Hemisphere, especially in California. Here we report a near-chromosome level draft genome assembly for A. eximia, a California endemic species. A. eximia is a serpentine-soil specialist and is very closely related to 2 columbine species also being studied for the California Conservation Genomics Project (CCGP), A. formosa (widespread) and A. pubescens (high alpine). Utilizing high throughput, long reads (PacBio) and chromatin capture (Omni-C), the A. eximia genome makes marked contiguity improvements compared to the existing reference genome for another North American columbine, A. coerulea “Goldsmith.” The A. eximia genome will also be more useful for aligning whole genome resequencing data from California columbines than the genomes for more distantly related columbine species, the Asian A. oxysepala var. kansuensis and the European A. vulgaris. Notably, we found evidence that A. eximia, A. coerulea “Goldsmith,” and A. vulgaris all share the same overall genome structure and differ from A. oxysepala var. kansuensis by the same reciprocal translocation. The A. eximia reference genome will be a valuable tool for identifying patterns of plant biodiversity across California for the CCGP, as well as for future population genomic and trait mapping studies.