Anodonta Whole Genome Sequencing

In Switzerland, there are three species of the genus Anodonta, the widespread A. anatina and A. cygnea, and A. exulcerata which are restricted to the southern part of the Alps. This study aimed to assess the inter- and intra-specific diversity using the four essential genetic biodiversity variables (EBVs: genetic diversity, genetic differentiation, inbreeding and effective population size) of Anodonta populations in Switzerland using high-resolution genomic data. Anodonta mussels were sampled across 31 sampling sites in Switzerland from May to September 2023. In total, 424 Anodonta specimens were collected by wading, snorkelling, or SCUBA diving, with a maximum of 25 individuals per location. After morphological examinations, a small foot biopsy was sampled non-lethally and immediately preserved in 100% ethanol. Given the morphological overlap among Anodonta species commonly found in sympatry, molecular species identification using a COI barcode was conducted. After molecular species identification, the extracted DNA of each of the 424 individuals was used for individual library preparation using the PCR-free DNA prep library kit (Illumina). All libraries were sequenced (150 bp paired-end) on one 25B flow cell on a Novaseq X Plus sequencer at the Functional Genomics Center Zürich, Switzerland.