Comparative genomics of widespread and narrow-range white-bellied rats in the Niviventer niviventer species complex sheds light on invasive rodent success

The cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) method was used to extract genomic DNA from muscle tissue. The extracted genomic DNA was sequenced by the Beijing Berry (China) sequencing company. DNA concentration, purity, and integrity were tested using a NanoDrop 2000 spectrophotometer (Thermo Fisher Scientific, American) and agarose electrophoresis. High-quality DNA samples were selected for library construction and sequencing. Whole-genome sequencing was performed using the Illumina HiSeq X Ten platform (Illumina, American). From each sample, 1.5 μg of genomic DNA was sheared into 350 bp fragments using a Covaris instrument for Illumina library preparation. The fragmented DNA was end-polished, A-tailed, and ligated using a TruSeq Nano DNA HT Sample Preparation Kit (Illumina, American). We used the AMPure XP system to purify polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products, with the libraries then analyzed using the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer (Agilent, American). The Illumina HiSeq X Ten platform (Illumina, American) was employed to sequence the constructed libraries and generate paired-end 150 bp reads.