Community-Driven Reference Genomes

Did you know that the Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE) project is producing genomes with the help of hundreds of scientists across Europe? 

This endeavour was made possible through open calls during the early phase of the project, where researchers were invited to propose their "favorite" species for genome sequencing. The resulting wishlist included over a thousand species! Choosing which ones to prioritise required a selection process developed by BGE - click here to learn all about it.

Some of the species suggested for genome sequencing by the European research community. Photos by P. Oromi, Miquel Pontes, Frederic Zuberer, V Decroocq, Tetiana Derevenko.

The selection process was essential to prevent duplicated efforts and to prioritize species based on various criteria, including taxonomic and geographic representation, as well as scientific, cultural, or economic significance. This was a crucial step to ensure that the biodiversity sequenced under BGE was truly diverse and not only charismatic species like birds and mammals were sequenced, but also a variety of lesser studied organisms that also deserve the spotlight, such as algae, worms, and fungi.

All BGE genomes are being produced following the guidelines and standards established by the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) - the European node of the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP) - to achieve high levels of quality and completeness. 

To learn more about all the species currently being sequenced under ERGA-BGE, we invited the researchers who proposed them to give brief talks addressing:

• What makes the selected species so interesting?

• What key questions are scientists most excited to explore with its genome?

Watch the videos below to find out! 

Playlist: Community-driven Reference Genomes - Biodiversity Genomics Europe

Several of these genomes are already openly available for anyone to use! 

🧬 Check the collection of ERGA-BGE genomes at the European Nucleotide Archive >>

🌍 Check the distribution of all genomes sequenced under the ERGA umbrella >>

📑 Check the collection of ERGA-BGE Genome Reports already available >>

Learn more:

• What is a reference genome and what does it mean to sequence it?

• What is the European Reference Genome Atlas?

• How are ERGA and BGE connected?