Fig. 2

Optimization of Kmar de novo genome assemblies. Raw reads for pair-ended Kmar WGS were assembled at various k-mer values to build a de novo genome. The graph shows a positive correlation between higher k-mer values and Kmar genome size. A similar correlation was found for N50, but peaked at k = 60. Thus, a Kmar genome with the highest N50 value (32,044 bp) that yielded a genome size of 642,279,823 bp was selected to serve as a reference genome for the RNA-Seq data analyses. [Note: k-mer at higher than k = 64 failed to assemble a de novo genome]