Whole genome sequencing of White-backed and Hooded Vultures Van der Meer, K.A. & Ottenburghs, J. (expected mid 2024)
Preliminary abstract:  White-backed and Hooded vultures (Gyps africanus and Necrosyrtes monachus) are obligate scavengers and by eating carrion recycle substantial amounts of organic material, in urban and nature areas. Therefore, they play a crucial role in nutrient cycling and disease reduction. However, White-backed and Hooded vultures are part of the 69% of monitored vertebrate species that show a massive population decline. A consequence of this ongoing population decline is that genetic diversity also diminishes. This loss of genetic diversity can lead to a reduction of adaptive potential and can start the downward spiral of inbreeding depression. However, for  effective conservation and state of the art studies on the genetic diversity of White-backed and Hooded vultures a reference genome is needed, which was lacking. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to sequence the whole genome of White-backed and Hooded vultures. Based on the whole genome sequences, I also performed two exploratory analyses; A phylogenetic analysis, and the reconstruction of past effective population size (MSMC2) of Hooded and White-backed vultures. This study published four high quality (97,3% BUSCO completeness scores) genomes in the EMBL database; two Hooded vultures and two White-backed vultures. Additionally, Phylogenetic analyses based BUSCO genes, elucidated evolutionary relationships within the Aegypiinae family, resolving the position of Necrosyrtes monachus and confirming the monophyly of the genus Gyps. Contrary to other research I also found that Gyps africanus has split off first, followed by Gyps himalayensis.The MSMC2 analysis revealed significant population size fluctuations in both Hooded and White-backed vultures over the past 5 million years. Notably, the Late Miocene period (4 million years ago) witnessed simultaneous increases in effective population size for both species, potentially linked to ecological changes associated with the radiation of ungulates (due to the evolution of the C4 pathway). Future research could be focused on exploring the possibility of hybridization zones, gene flow during glacial periods, and the impact of recent gene flow on the unresolved phylogeny within the Gyps genus. This study has contributed to the conservation of Hooded and White-backed vultures by publishing their reference genome. Now it is more feasible to do genetic studies on White-backed and Hooded vultures.   Van der Meer, K.A. & Ottenburghs, J. (expected mid 2024). Whole genome sequencing of White-backed and Hooded Vultures.