Data from: A comparison of non-destructive visceral swab and tissue biopsy sampling methods for genotyping-by-sequencing in the freshwater mussel Fusconaia askewi

Limiting harm to organisms via genetic sampling is an important
consideration for rare species. Nondestructive sampling techniques have
been developed to address this issue in freshwater mussels. Two methods,
visceral swabbing and tissue biopsies, have proven to be effective for DNA
sampling, though it is unclear as to which method is preferable for
genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). Tissue biopsies may cause undue stress and
damage to organisms, while visceral swabbing potentially reduces the
chance of such harm. Our study compared the efficacy of these two DNA
sampling methods for generating GBS data for the Unionid freshwater
mussel, Texas Pigtoe (Fusconaia askewi). Our results find both methods
generate quality sequence data, though some considerations are in order.
Tissue biopsies produced significantly higher DNA concentrations and
larger numbers of reads when compared to swabs, though there was no
significant association between starting DNA concentration and number of
reads generated. Swabbing produced greater sequence depth (more reads per
sequence) while tissue biopsies revealed greater coverage across the
genome (at lower sequence depth). Patterns of genomic variation as
characterized in principal component analyses were similar regardless of
the sampling method, suggesting that the less invasive swabbing is a
viable option for producing quality GBS data in these organisms.