Crown-of-thorns sea star germline mutation rate_Popovic_etal_2024

Popovic et al. (2024) reports the first germline mutation rate estimate for a marine invertebrate using high coverage whole-genome sequencing of 14 parent-offspring trios of crown-of-thorns sea stars (n=28). Understanding how levels of genetic diversity levels are maintained in natural populations and their relationship to species abundance is central to many conservation problems. We address this question in ecologically important crown-of-thorns sea stars to advance our understanding about the determinants of genetic diversity in species undergoing extreme population size fluctuations.