D3163: Uncovering the American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus, genome

Monday, November 11, 2024

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM MST

Location: Phoenix Convention Center, Exhibit Hall 6, PCC

Presenting Author(s)

Samantha Hittson

Graduate Teaching Assistant
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, Oklahoma

Co-Author(s)

MK

Manpreet Kohli

Assistant Professor
City University of New York
New York, New York
Paul Bryan Frandsen

Assistant Professor
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah
Jessica L. Ware, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Curator and Division Chair
American Museum of Natural History
Cranbury, New Jersey
Wyatt Wyatt Hoback (he/him/his)

Professor
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, Oklahoma

The American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) is a federally threatened beetle found in the United States of America. This species is the largest in the genus (30 to 35 millimeters in length), utilizing the largest vertebrate carcasses (up to 200 g) and is the only North American species with a red/orange pronotum. It has been lost from 90% of its original habitat range and now only resides in three isolated population centers (Rhode Island, Nebraska extending into South Dakota, and Oklahoma extending into Kansas and Arkansas). The cause of the decline of the American burying beetle is unknown. Burying beetles, including N. americanus exhibit bi-parental care and have a unique microbiome and produce secretions that help preserve carcasses that they use for feeding of offspring. Despite its unique biology, limited information about the genetics of remaining populations exists. Having a genome for the American burying beetle allows us to evaluate the demographic history of the species and examine hypotheses for its decline. We sequenced the first PacBio HiFi based whole genome assembly for N. americanus. We had 17 Gbp of raw reads and an assembled genome of 317 Mbp with a contig N50 of 9 Mbp. We have a complete BUSCO score of 99.7% showing a high level of contiguity and completeness. The genomic data assessed from this study represents the most-complete genome for a Nicrophorus and can be used in future conservations efforts, reintroductions, and studies assessing parental care and carcass preservation.