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Biodiversity

Understand and protect the dazzling diversity of life on our planet

Biodiversity solutions

PacBio sequencing delivers the data that empowers biodiversity and conservation initiatives with exceptional multiomic insights. Our state-of-the-art technologies enable you to more comprehensively document and delve into the hidden wonders of the biosphere and launch campaigns to safeguard them for future generations.

Animal + population health

Animal population health

Correctly identify at-risk populations and develop action plans to protect endangered species and habitats from things such as increased genetic drift, inbreeding depression, and reduced geneflow.

 

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Climate change

Climate change and the environment

Get the granular information you need to evaluate a species’ ability to adapt to ecological and environmental change using high-quality whole genome sequences, transcriptomes, and epigenomes available.

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Marine biodiversity

Grasp how aquatic species adapt to extreme environments and explore how complex genotypes like bioluminescence evolve with full-length transcriptomes and reference-quality genome assemblies. Such information is vital in guiding efforts to protect life in our global ocean.

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Protect biodiversity for people and the planet

Species loss and the degradation of global biodiversity threaten the air, water, and food supplies that we all depend on. PacBio supplies one of the world’s most sophisticated mulitomics technologies for exploring biological complexity and arming conservation initiatives with the best data possible for preserving our living world.

HiFi sequencing can be used to construct and phase the most detailed reference genomes possible, from blue whales to single cells. Moreover, accurate long reads are capable of characterizing entire biological communities with HiFi metagenomic and metabarcoding techniques. 5mC methylation detection allows you to glimpse gene activity of any organism with stunning clarity without any changes to library preparation.

The Iso-Seq method brings the length and accuracy of HiFi sequencing to transcriptomics to enhance your understanding of gene expression and how organisms respond to their ecological contexts.

Combined, these technologies give biodiversity experts the ability to better understand the ecology and conservation needs of any species. Such detailed multiomic information may even hold promise for improving human health through bioprospecting and can serve as a hedge against extinction.

 

“We urge researchers to take advantage of new genomic technologies that provide an opportunity to explore, catalog, and mine the immense diversity of information contained within wild species before they are lost.”

— Marks, et al., Nature Plants, 2022

Common questions about biodiversity

Biodiversity refers to the collective variation of living things on Earth at every level of complexity, from genes to ecosystems, and can encompass the evolutionary, ecological, and cultural processes that sustain life.

Reference genome assemblies can be used to address fundamental questions in biology and disease and to preserve genetic information of life. PacBio sequencing is the main technology being utilized at biodiversity consortia across the globe.

PacBio certified sequencing providers can be found all over the world and can offer you a wide variety of services from initial project consultations to quotes and pricing, and of course HiFi sequencing itself. As always, if you have a question about whether HiFi sequencing is right for the complexities of your project, a PacBio scientist is never more than a call or click away.

Biodiversity in action

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Application Note: Kinnex full-length RNA

The new Kinnex full-length RNA kit increases Iso-Seq read throughput 8-fold for plant and animal applications

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Whole genome sequencing best practices

Look at recommended workflows for assembling reference-quality genomes of everything from insects and big cats to giant coastal redwoods, de novo.

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Metabarcoding of fungi and other eukaryotes

Explore how HiFi sequencing is being used to help researchers peer deep into the evolutionary tree of life to better understand when and how eukaryotic lineages colonized different habitats.

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Powering biodiversity genomics to understand and preserve our living planet

Learn how some of the world’s most ambitious biodiversity consortia use HiFi sequencing to assemble reference genomes of the highest quality, for the benefit of science and the preservation of biological diversity globally.

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Ecosystem diversity for animal and human health

Assemble and phase reference quality genomes for a target species like never before with the incredible accuracy and read length of HiFi sequencing. Genomic data of such exceptional quality makes it easier to ascertain true genetic diversity and correctly identify at-risk populations.

Inform your conservation action plans using detailed and actionable HiFi genomic information on areas of concern like genetic drift, inbreeding depression, and reduced geneflow.

See how researchers deployed HiFi sequencing to understand the population genetics of the kakapo and develop plans for its recovery.

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Biodiversity for climate change

Glimpse how species adjust to climate change and evaluate the adaptive potential of populations to cope with environmental instability using the power of HiFi multiomic solutions.

  • Construct phased, reference-quality genomes to capture the full genetic potential of individuals and compile pangemomes to understand the genotypic wealth hidden within entire populations or species.
  • Use 5mC methylation detection to reveal potentially heritable changes in gene expression of your target species.
  • Deploy the Iso-Seq method to construct isoform-level transcriptomes for evaluating metabolic and adaptive potential and revealing the molecular mechanisms behind complex physiologies.

 

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Biodiversity for marine conservation

Use HiFi sequencing to explore the genomes and transcriptomes of a wide variety of marine species and ecosystems. Accurate genomic data is vital in understanding how marine species adapt and evolve, and informs efforts to protect life in our oceans.

  • Assemble high-quality genomes to better understand complex genotypes such as bioluminescence.
  • Understand how fish adapt to harsh environments with full-length transcriptome sequencing with the Iso-Seq method.
  • Identify, sequence, and multiplex genomic regions of interest without compromising amplicon size.

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Biodiversity

A grand challenge with a grand vision: the Earth Biogenome Project

PacBio has partnered with the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP) to deploy the power of HiFi sequencing to catapult humanity into a new era of biodiversity conservation and comprehension. With the goal of sequencing and assembling genomes for all known eukaryotic species on the planet within ten years, the pursuit is challenging but the benefits are immeasurable.

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Applications to fuel biodiversity research and discovery

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Whole genome sequencing

Quickly and affordably create more complete, contiguous, and correct de novo assemblies of even the most complex genomes like the 27 Gb coastal redwood.

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Structural variant calling

Acquire high-sensitivity variant calls with low false discovery rates to gain actionable insights across populations.

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RNA sequencing

Leverage the isoform sequence (Iso-Seq) method using the Kinnex RNA kit to obtain full-length cDNA sequences — from 5’ to the poly-A tail — to confidently characterize the full transcriptome.

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Metagenomics

Uncover hidden microbiome functions and confidently capture microbial species richness and diversity with the highest quality metagenomic data available — only with HiFi metagenomic sequencing.

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FEATURED LONG-READ SEQUENCING SYSTEMS

PacBio long-read sequencers empower you to uncover the hidden wonders of the biosphere.

Unravel biological complexities and arm your conservation initiatives with the exceptional accuracy of HiFi reads.

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