Direct Measurement of the Mutation Rate and Its Evolutionary Consequences in a Critically Endangered Mollusk.

ABSTRACT: The rate at which mutations arise is a fundamental parameter of biology. Despite progress in measuring germline mutation rates across diverse taxa, such estimates are missing for much of Earth's biodiversity. Here, we present the first estimate of a germline mutation rate from the phylum Mollusca. We sequenced three pedigreed families of the white abalone Haliotis sorenseni, a long-lived, large-bodied, and critically endangered mollusk, and estimated a de novo mutation rate of 8.60 × 10-9 single nucleotide mutations per site per generation. This mutation rate is similar to rates measured in vertebrates with comparable generation times and longevity to abalone, and higher than mutation rates measured in faster-reproducing invertebrates. The spectrum of de novo mutations is also similar to t

SUBMITTER: Wooldridge TB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11704959 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature