Chromosome-level reference genome of stinkwort, Dittrichia graveolens (L.) Greuter: A resource for studies on invasion, range expansion, and evolutionary adaptation under global change

Abstract

Dittrichia graveolens (L.) Greuter, or stinkwort, is a weedy annual plant within the family Asteraceae. The species is recognized for the rapid expansion of both its native and introduced ranges: in Europe, it has expanded its native distribution northward from the Mediterranean basin by nearly 7 degrees latitude since the mid-20th century, while in California and Australia the plant is an invasive weed of concern. Here, we present the first de novo Dittrichia graveolens genome assembly (1N=9 chromosomes), including complete chloroplast (151,013 bp) and partial mitochondrial genomes (22,084 bp), created using Pacific Biosciences HiFi reads and Dovetail Omni-C data. The final primary assembly is 835 Mbp in length, of which 98.1% are represented by nine scaffolds ranging from 66 to 119 Mbp. The contig N50 is 74.9 Mbp and the scaffold N50 is 96.9 Mbp, which, together with a 98.8% completeness based on the BUSCO embryophyta10 database containing 1614 orthologs, underscores the high quality of this assembly. This pseudomolecule-scale genome assembly is a valuable resource for our fundamental understanding of the genomic consequences of range expansion under global change, as well as comparative genomic studies in the Asteraceae.