Deciphering the genomic characters of Ptygonotus chinghaiensis, a high-altitude grasshopper endemic to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, using low-coverage short-read sequencing.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the world's youngest plateau, harbors a unique biodiversity shaped by its extreme environmental conditions. Genomic adaptations in its endemic insects, particularly those with large genomes such as grasshoppers (5.6-20 Gb), remain underexplored. Here, we present the first genomic analysis of Ptygonotus chinghaiensis, a high-altitude grasshopper endemic to this region, using low-coverage short-read sequencing.

Results

We estimated the haploid genome size of P. chinghaiensis at 12.17 Gb, with repetitive elements comprising 72.34%, predominantly DNA transposons, long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons, and long interspersed nuclear elements (LINEs). Recent bursts of transposable elements (TEs) activity appear to have driven genomic expa

SUBMITTER: Wang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12275454 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature