Jessica Martin

Jessica Martin is a master’s student at San Francisco State University researching the genetics of the Galápagos endemic lava gull (Leucophaeus fuliginosus), the rarest gull species in the world, with a population of only 300 to 600 individuals. She has sequenced and assembled a high-quality reference genome using nanopore sequencing for the species and is currently using whole genome sequencing to conduct population-level genetic analyses from 32 individuals across four different islands in the Galápagos. Her work will provide critical insight into the evolutionary history and current conservation status of this imperiled species and offer valuable guidance for management and protection efforts.

Hi! I am a master’s student at San Francisco State University conducting genomic research on the Galápagos endemic lava gull (Leucophaeus fuliginosus), the rarest gull species in the world, with a population of only 300 to 600 individuals across the archipelago. As opportunistic scavengers and predators drawn to urban areas by human food and waste, lava gulls face increased vulnerability to anthropogenic disturbance. I assembled a high-quality de novo reference genome from a blood sample from an adult female lava gull sequenced on the Galápagos using nanopore technology. Initial sequencing generated 1.78 million reads, consisting of 29.6 gigabases (Gbp), with a mean Q-score of 17.8 at an average 22.5x coverage. Our final assembly has a total length of 1.31 Gbp, with 450 scaffolds, and a scaffold N50 of 85.1 Mbp and contig N50 of 42.8 Mbp. The generation of a high-quality whole genome for the lava gull is an important step for investigation into the species’ phylogeography and population genetics.