Pelobatoid transcriptomes

Spadefoot toads present broad differences in developmental rate across species, which are consequently also reflected in large differences in genome size: slow developing Pelobates cultripes has a large genome (~3.9 Gbp), whereas fast developing S. couchii has only about one third its size (~1.5 Gbp). Here we present a first description of the transcriptomes of these species at the onset of metamorphosis to explore the potential consequences of such dramatic divergence in their genomes and to uncover the transcriptomic basis of their differences in developmental rate.