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Group:
Eudicot
Estimated genome size:
0.3 meters in height.
Size:
0.3 meters in height.
Distribution:
Found in grassland habitats across Southern Africa.
PromethION Sequencing Report:
Output:
122.04 Gigabases
Approximate N50:
9.24 kilobases
Draft Genome Assembly Statistics:
Genome Length:
2.75 Gigabases
BUSCO completeness score (single and duplicated genes):
99.6% [S: 60.8%, D: 38.8%]
Importance:
Some populations of this species in the Barberton region of South Africa have evolved the ability to hyperaccumulate nickel, making this species ideal for a comparative genomics approach to understand the evolution of this extreme phenotype.
Group:
Insect
Estimated genome size:
Size:
4 mm
Distribution:
Exclusive to the Western Cape province.
PromethION Sequencing Report:
Output:
48.91 Gigabases
Approximate N50:
7.69 kilobases
Assembly N50:
4 195.23 kilobases
Contig number:
1 636
Draft Genome Assembly Statistics:
Assembler used:
Hifiasm
Genome Length:
1.33 Gigabases
BUSCO completeness score (single and duplicated genes):
99.9% [S: 97.7%, D: 2.2%]
BUSCO database:
insecta
Amitermes hastatus
Black mound termite
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Importance:
Amitermes hastatus plays a significant role in South African biodiversity as a key decomposer in the fynbos biome, one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. Sequencing the genome of this species important because it can: ① Illuminate genetic adaptations to nutrient-poor, fire adapted environments; ② Provide insight into the evolution of sociality in termites within an ecologically unique context; ③ Support comparative genomics across termite lineages, particularly within the diverse and underrepresented southern African termite fauna; ④ Enhance understanding of species responses to climate change and habitat transformation in fynbos systems.
Sample Contributor contact details:
Dr Barbara van Asch
Stellenbosch University, Genetics Department
Date Published:
2025-10-24
Photo credit:
© D. Gergonne
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