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Abstract Mimulus laciniatus (syn. Erythranthe lacinata) is an annual plant endemic to the Sierra Nevada region of California. Mimulus laciniatus is notable for its specialized ecological niche, thriving in granite outcrops of alpine environments characterized by shallow soils that dry out rapidly as the snowpack is exhausted during season-ending droughts. Due to its narrow habitat range and sensitivity to environmental change, this species serves as an important model for studying adaptation and survival in marginal habitats. As part of the California Conservation Genomics Project, here we report the sequencing and assembly of a high-quality nuclear genome and chloroplast genome of M. laciniatus. The primary assembly is 309.96 Mb and consists of 104 scaffolds with a scaffold N50 of 20.99 Mb, a largest contig size of 24.29 Mb and a contig N50 of 11.09 Mb, The alternate haplotype assembly consists of 194 scaffolds spanning 213.84 Mb. BUSCO completeness of the primary assembly is 98.6%. This high quality genome adds a valuable resource to the expanding collection of sequenced genomes of the monkeyflowers (Mimulus sensu lato), which have become a model clade for studying ecological adaptation, speciation, and evolutionary genetics. 

Abstract The Pismo clam, Tivela stultorum, is an ecologically and economically important species inhabiting sandy beaches and subtidal zones in central and southern California, USA, and northern Baja California, Mexico. This long-lived venerid clam species is of great management, cultural and conservation interest in California where it was harvested for centuries by indigenous people and then nearly extirpated by intense commercial and recreational overfishing in the mid-1900s. A recreational fishery continues today in California; however, T. stultorum faces pressure from poaching, overharvest, and the loss of sandy beaches from rising sea levels and beach erosion. Understanding the susceptibility and resilience of Pismo clams to these pressures is essential for their conservation. We used Pacific Biosciences HiFi long sequencing reads and Dovetail Omni-C proximity reads to assemble a highly contiguous genome of 763 Mb. The genome had a contig N50 of 13 Mb and a scaffold N50 of 38 Mb with a BUSCO completeness score of 95%. Most of the genome sequences (96%) were contained in 19 scaffolds at least 10MB long, consistent with prior evidence that venerid clam genomes are composed of 19 autosomes. This reference genome will enable a more complete understanding of the ecology and evolutionary dynamics of T. stultorum via population genomic analyses, which will help assess risks from climate, fishing, environmental change, and susceptibilities due to life history. Our goal is to better support the continued recovery, informed management and conservation, and future persistence of T. stultorum, a long-lived and highly valued clam species.