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Ultra-long Read Sequencing for Whole Genomic DNA Analysis
Published on: March 15, 2019
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Sequencing Disparity in the Genomic Era
Kyle T David1, Alan E Wilson2, Kenneth M Halanych1
1Molette Biology Laboratory for Environmental and Climate Change Studies, Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL.
Molecular Biology and Evolution
|May 12, 2019
Summary
Genomic studies show increasing species richness but decreasing evenness, with a few species dominating research. This growing bias necessitates more comparative approaches for better understanding molecular patterns.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Bioinformatics
- Eukaryotic Diversity
Background:
- Advances in sequencing technology have fueled expectations for more representative genomic studies.
- The Sequence Read Archive (SRA) is a major repository for genomic data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate species representation in nonhuman eukaryotic genomic studies within the SRA.
- To identify trends in species richness and evenness over time.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of species representation in the Sequence Read Archive.
- Quantification of species richness and evenness.
- Assessment of the proportion of experiments focused on top species.
Main Results:
- Species richness in genomic studies has steadily increased.
- Species evenness has significantly decreased over time.
- A small percentage of species (top 1%) accounts for a disproportionately large share of experiments, indicating a growing bias.
Conclusions:
- Genomic research is becoming less representative of overall eukaryotic diversity.
- Current trends show a concentration of research on a few model organisms.
- Adopting more comparative genomic approaches is crucial to counteract bias and improve understanding of molecular processes.
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