TY  - JOUR
A1  - Byerly, Paige A.
A1  - von Thaden, Alina
A1  - Leushkin, Evgeny
A1  - Hilgers, Leon
A1  - Liu, Shenglin
A1  - Winter, Sven
A1  - Schell, Tilman
A1  - Gerheim, Charlotte
A1  - Ben Hamadou, 
Alexander
A1  - Greve, Carola
A1  - Betz, Christian
A1  - Bolz, Hanno J.
A1  - Büchner, Sven
A1  - Lang, Johannes
A1  - Meinig, Holger
A1  - Famira-Parcsetich, Evax Marie
A1  - Stubbe, 
Sarah P.
A1  - Mouton, Alice
A1  - Bertolino, Sandro
A1  - Verbeylen, Goedele
A1  - Briner, Thomas
A1  - Freixas, Lídia
A1  - Vinciguerra, Lorenzo
A1  - Mueller, Sarah A.
A1  - Nowak, Carsten
A1  - Hiller, Michael
T1  - Haplotype-resolved genome and population genomics of the threatened garden dormouse in Europe
Y1  - 2024/11/01 
JF  - Genome Research 
JO  - Genome Research 
SP  - 2094 
EP  - 2107 
DO  - 10.1101/gr.279066.124 
VL  - 34 
IS  - 11 
UR  - http://genome.cshlp.org/content/34/11/2094.abstract 
N2  - Genomic resources are important for evaluating genetic diversity and supporting conservation efforts. The garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) is a small rodent that has experienced one of the most severe modern population declines in Europe. We present a high-quality haplotype-resolved reference genome for the garden dormouse, and combine comprehensive short and long-read transcriptomics data sets with homology-based methods to generate a highly complete gene annotation. Demographic history analysis of the genome reveal a sharp population decline since the last interglacial, indicating an association between colder climates and population declines before anthropogenic influence. Using our genome and genetic data from 100 individuals, largely sampled in a citizen-science project across the contemporary range, we conduct the first population genomic analysis for this species. We find clear evidence for population structure across the species’ core Central European range. Notably, our data show that the Alpine population, characterized by strong differentiation and reduced genetic diversity, is reproductively isolated from other regions and likely represents a differentiated evolutionary significant unit (ESU). The predominantly declining Eastern European populations also show signs of recent isolation, a pattern consistent with a range expansion from Western to Eastern Europe during the Holocene, leaving relict populations now facing local extinction. Overall, our findings suggest that garden dormouse conservation may be enhanced in Europe through the designation of ESUs. 
ER  -