{"doi":"10.1093/jhered/esad037","title":"Assembly of the largest squamate reference genome to date: The western fence lizard, <i>Sceloporus occidentalis</i>","abstract":"Spiny lizards (genus Sceloporus) have long served as important systems for studies of behavior, thermal physiology, dietary ecology, vector biology, speciation, and biogeography. The western fence lizard, Sceloporus occidentalis, is found across most of the major biogeographical regions in the western United States and northern Baja California, Mexico, inhabiting a wide range of habitats, from grassland to chaparral to open woodlands. As small ectotherms, Sceloporus lizards are particularly vulnerable to climate change, and S. occidentalis has also become an important system for studying the impacts of land use change and urbanization on small vertebrates. Here, we report a new reference genome assembly for S. occidentalis, as part of the California Conservation Genomics Project (CCGP). Consistent with the reference genomics strategy of the CCGP, we used Pacific Biosciences HiFi long reads and Hi-C chromatin-proximity sequencing technology to produce a de novo assembled genome. The assembly comprises a total of 608 scaffolds spanning 2,856 Mb, has a contig N50 of 18.9 Mb, a scaffold N50 of 98.4 Mb, and BUSCO completeness score of 98.1% based on the tetrapod gene set. This reference genome will be valuable for understanding ecological and evolutionary dynamics in S. occidentalis, the species status of the California endemic island fence lizard (S. becki), and the spectacular radiation of Sceloporus lizards.","journal":"Journal of Heredity","year":2023,"id":372942,"datarank":0.32074995892620417,"base_score":1.791759469228055,"endowment":1.791759469228055,"self_citation_contribution":0.26876392038420827,"citation_network_contribution":0.05198603854199589,"self_endowment_contribution":0.26876392038420827,"citer_contribution":0.05198603854199589,"corpus_percentile":47.025605322193854,"corpus_rank":6849,"citation_count":5,"citer_count":2,"citers_with_citation_signal":1,"citers_with_endowment":1,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":true,"is_dataset_confidence":0.9293,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":true,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":"2023-01-01","fair_score":70.8333,"fair_percentile":91.99021705900336,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":1116073,"name":"Erin P. Westeen","orcid":"0000-0001-7685-4588","position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1044044,"name":"Michael L. Yuan","orcid":"0000-0002-0298-0781","position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":92291,"name":"Merly Escalona","orcid":"0000-0003-0213-4777","position":3,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":911242,"name":"Eric Beraut","orcid":"0000-0002-4443-6282","position":4,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":908281,"name":"Colin W Fairbairn","orcid":"0009-0007-8129-0095","position":5,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":730420,"name":"Mohan P A Marimuthu","orcid":"0000-0001-6121-3286","position":6,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":730421,"name":"Oanh Nguyen","orcid":"0000-0003-1492-2084","position":7,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":911241,"name":"Noravit Chumchim","orcid":"0000-0003-1139-9427","position":8,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":730422,"name":"Erin Toffelmier","orcid":"0000-0001-6028-8497","position":9,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":926781,"name":"Robert N. Fisher","orcid":"0000-0002-2956-3240","position":10,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":730423,"name":"H. Bradley Shaffer","orcid":"0000-0002-5795-9242","position":11,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":926783,"name":"Ian Wang","orcid":"0000-0003-2554-9414","position":12,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":726212,"name":"Anusha P. Bishop","orcid":"0000-0003-1731-8683","position":0,"is_corresponding":true}],"reference_count":49,"raw_metadata":null,"created_at":"2026-07-19T01:15:58.101083Z","pmid":"37335574","pmcid":"PMC10445515","fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":94.4444,"fair_a":68.75,"fair_i":0.0,"fair_r":58.3333,"fair_zscore":1.4401,"fair_rationale":{"fair_score":70.83,"has_llm":true,"taxonomy_version":"fair_taxonomy_v5","dimensions":{"F":{"name":"Findable","score":94.44,"criteria":[{"key":"f_dataset_pid","label":"Persistent identifier for the data","kind":"llm","weight":2.0,"fraction":1.0,"verdict":"yes","evidence":"PRJNA720569","grounded":true,"rationale":"The paper gives the NCBI BioProject accession PRJNA720569, which is a persistent identifier scheme.","anchors":["RDA-F1-01D — FAIR Data Maturity Model: 'Data is identified by a persistent identifier' (priorit","RDA-F1-02D — FAIR Data Maturity Model: 'Data is identified by a globally unique identifier'","FsF-F1-02D — F-UJI/FAIRsFAIR: 'Data is assigned a persistent identifier'"],"scored":true,"signal":null},{"key":"f_repository_named","label":"Named repository","kind":"llm","weight":2.0,"fraction":1.0,"verdict":"yes","evidence":"Data generated for this study are available under NCBI BioProject PRJNA720569.","grounded":true,"rationale":"NCBI is named as the repository holding the data.","anchors":["RDA-F4-01M — FAIR Data Maturity Model: metadata is offered so it can be harvested and indexed (","NIH DMS Policy Element 4 (NOT-OD-21-014) — name the repository where data will be archived","NSTC Desirable Characteristics of Data Repositories (2022) — 'Long-Term Sustainability', 'Reten"],"scored":true,"signal":null},{"key":"f_data_availability_statement","label":"Data-availability statement","kind":"llm","weight":2.0,"fraction":1.0,"verdict":"yes","evidence":"Data generated for this study are available under NCBI BioProject PRJNA720569. Raw sequencing data for sample IW3139 (NCBI BioSample SAMN27480378) are deposited in the NCBI Short Read Archive (SRA) under SRX15651255, SRX15651256, and SRX15651257.","grounded":true,"rationale":"The statement points to a repository record with accessions, meeting Colavizza category 3. [majority verdict 'yes' (4/5 passes agreed)]","anchors":["Colavizza, Hrynaszkiewicz, Staden, Whitaker & McGillivray (2020), 'The citation advantage of li","Springer Nature research data policy — Data Availability Statements: standard statement templat","RDA-F3-01M — metadata clearly and explicitly includes the identifier of the data it describes"],"scored":false,"signal":null},{"key":"f_discovery_metadata","label":"Description of the dataset as an object","kind":"llm","weight":2.0,"fraction":1.0,"verdict":"yes","evidence":"Table 2. Sequencing and assembly statistics and accession numbers.","grounded":true,"rationale":"Table 2 provides an itemised inventory of the dataset, including accession numbers and assembly statistics.","anchors":["RDA-F2-01M — 'Rich metadata is provided to allow discovery' (priority Essential)","FsF-F2-01M — F-UJI: 'Metadata includes descriptive core elements to support data findability'","FsF-R1-01MD — F-UJI: 'Metadata specifies the content of the data'"],"scored":false,"signal":null},{"key":"f_dataset_cited","label":"Dataset formally cited","kind":"llm","weight":1.0,"fraction":0.5,"verdict":"partial","evidence":"Data generated for this study are available under NCBI BioProject PRJNA720569.","grounded":true,"rationale":"The dataset identifier appears in the body text and Table 2, but not as a reference-list entry.","anchors":["FORCE11 Joint Declaration of Data Citation Principles (2014) — data should be cited as a first-","RDA-F3-01M — metadata clearly and explicitly includes the identifier of the data it describes","FsF-F3-01M — F-UJI: 'Metadata includes the identifier of the data it describes'"],"scored":true,"signal":null}]},"A":{"name":"Accessible","score":68.75,"criteria":[{"key":"a_data_openly_accessible","label":"Access route free of preconditions","kind":"llm","weight":2.0,"fraction":1.0,"verdict":"yes","evidence":"Data generated for this study are available under NCBI BioProject PRJNA720569.","grounded":true,"rationale":"The paper gives a repository route with no stated precondition for access.","anchors":["RDA-A1.1-01D — 'Data is accessible through a free access protocol'","FsF-A1-01M — F-UJI: 'Metadata contains access level and access conditions of the data'","NSTC Desirable Characteristics of Data Repositories (2022) — 'Free and Easy Access'"],"scored":true,"signal":null},{"key":"a_access_conditions_stated","label":"Access level labelled","kind":"llm","weight":1.0,"fraction":0.5,"verdict":"partial","evidence":"Data generated for this study are available under NCBI BioProject PRJNA720569.","grounded":true,"rationale":"The paper describes the action of accessing the data via NCBI but does not label the access level with a standard vocabulary term.","anchors":["FsF-A1-01M — F-UJI: 'Metadata contains access level and access conditions of the data'","RDA-A1-01M — metadata contains information to enable the user to get access to the data","COAR Controlled Vocabularies — Access Rights v1.0 (open / embargoed / restricted / metadata-onl"],"scored":false,"signal":null},{"key":"a_controlled_access_for_sensitive","label":"Gatekeeper for sensitive data","kind":"llm","weight":0.5,"fraction":0.0,"verdict":"no","evidence":null,"grounded":false,"rationale":"The data are genome sequences from a non-human subject, and no gatekeeper is named or required.","anchors":["NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy (NOT-OD-14-124) — controlled-access via a Data Access Committee","RDA-A1.2-01D — 'Data is accessible through an access protocol that supports authentication and ","NIH DMS Policy Element 5 (NOT-OD-21-014) — Access, Distribution, or Reuse Considerations (conse"],"scored":false,"signal":null},{"key":"a_timeline_retention","label":"Availability timing & retention","kind":"llm","weight":0.5,"fraction":0.5,"verdict":"partial","evidence":"Data generated for this study are available under NCBI BioProject PRJNA720569.","grounded":true,"rationale":"The paper states the data are available now but says nothing about how long they will persist. [majority verdict 'partial' (4/5 passes agreed)]","anchors":["NIH DMS Plan Element 4 (NOT-OD-21-014) — Data Preservation, Access, and Associated Timelines","NSTC Desirable Characteristics (2022), Organizational Infrastructure: 'Retention Policy'","RDA-A2-01M — 'Metadata is guaranteed to remain available after data is no longer available'"],"scored":false,"signal":null}]},"I":{"name":"Interoperable","score":0.0,"criteria":[{"key":"i_open_nonproprietary_format","label":"Open file format","kind":"llm","weight":1.0,"fraction":0.0,"verdict":"no","evidence":null,"grounded":false,"rationale":"The paper does not explicitly name the file format of the deposited data.","anchors":["FsF-R1.3-02D — F-UJI: 'Data is available in a file format recommended by the target research co","RDA-R1.3-02D — data is expressed in a machine-understandable community standard","RDA-I1-01D — data uses a knowledge representation expressed in a standardised format"],"scored":true,"signal":null},{"key":"i_community_standard_vocabulary","label":"Community standard / vocabulary","kind":"llm","weight":1.0,"fraction":0.0,"verdict":"no","evidence":null,"grounded":false,"rationale":"No data or metadata community standard is named; only tools and reference databases are cited. [majority verdict 'no' (3/5 passes agreed)]","anchors":["RDA-R1.3-01M — 'Metadata complies with a community standard' (priority Essential)","RDA-R1.3-01D — 'Data complies with a community standard'","RDA-I2-01M — '(Meta)data use vocabularies that follow FAIR principles'"],"scored":false,"signal":null},{"key":"i_qualified_references","label":"Identifiers for the resources the data depend on","kind":"llm","weight":0.5,"fraction":0.0,"verdict":"no","evidence":"An existing mitochondrial sequence for S. occidentalis (NCBI: AB079242.1) was used as the starting sequence.","grounded":false,"rationale":"The paper references an external dataset (NCBI: AB079242.1) used in the analysis. [downgraded to 'no' — no verifiable quote from the paper] [majority verdict 'no' (4/5 passes agreed)]","anchors":["RDA-I3-01M — '(meta)data include references to other (meta)data'","RDA-I3-03M — 'metadata includes qualified references to other metadata'","FsF-I3-01M — F-UJI: 'Metadata includes links between the data and its related entities'"],"scored":false,"signal":null}]},"R":{"name":"Reusable","score":58.33,"criteria":[{"key":"r_reuse_license","label":"Reuse licence","kind":"llm","weight":2.0,"fraction":0.0,"verdict":"no","evidence":null,"grounded":false,"rationale":"The paper only licenses the article (CC BY-NC), not the data; no data reuse license is stated.","anchors":["RDA-R1.1-01M — 'Metadata includes information about the licence under which the data can be reu","RDA-R1.1-02M — 'Metadata refers to a standard reuse licence'","RDA-R1.1-03M — 'Metadata refers to a machine-understandable reuse licence'"],"scored":true,"signal":null},{"key":"r_provenance_methods","label":"Provenance of the data","kind":"llm","weight":1.0,"fraction":1.0,"verdict":"yes","evidence":"High molecular weight (HMW) gDNA was extracted from 30 mg of liver tissue using the Nanobind Tissue Big DNA kit following the manufacturer's instructions (Pacific BioSciences—PacBio, Menlo Park, California).","grounded":true,"rationale":"The paper names specific instruments and kits used to produce the data. [majority verdict 'yes' (4/5 passes agreed)]","anchors":["RDA-R1.2-01M — 'Metadata includes provenance information according to community- specific standa","FsF-R1.2-01M — F-UJI: 'Metadata includes provenance information about data creation or generati","W3C PROV-O (W3C Recommendation, 2013) — the entity/activity/agent model of provenance"],"scored":false,"signal":null},{"key":"r_documentation_codebook","label":"Documentation / codebook","kind":"llm","weight":1.0,"fraction":0.5,"verdict":"partial","evidence":"Table 2. Sequencing and assembly statistics and accession numbers.","grounded":true,"rationale":"The paper includes a table inside the article that defines assembly metrics, but no documentation object is said to accompany the data deposit. [majority verdict 'partial' (4/5 passes agreed)]","anchors":["RDA-R1-01M — '(Meta)data are richly described with a plurality of accurate and relevant attribu","FsF-R1-01MD — F-UJI: 'Metadata specifies the content of the data'","NIH DMS Policy Element 3 (NOT-OD-21-014) — Standards (documentation and metadata to accompany t"],"scored":false,"signal":null},{"key":"r_versioning","label":"Snapshot identified","kind":"llm","weight":0.5,"fraction":1.0,"verdict":"yes","evidence":"Assembly identifier rSceOcc1","grounded":true,"rationale":"The paper provides a version token (rSceOcc1) for the genome assembly. [majority verdict 'yes' (4/5 passes agreed)]","anchors":["DataCite Metadata Schema 4.6 — the 'Version' property","RDA-R1.2-01M — provenance information (which version was used is provenance)","NSTC Desirable Characteristics of Data Repositories (2022) — 'Provenance', 'Retention Policy'"],"scored":true,"signal":null},{"key":"x_code_availability","label":"Analysis code available","kind":"llm","weight":1.0,"fraction":1.0,"verdict":"yes","evidence":"Assembly scripts and other data for the analyses presented can be found at the following GitHub repository: www.github.com/ccgproject/ccgp_assembly","grounded":true,"rationale":"The paper provides a machine-resolvable code repository URL for the study's own code. [majority verdict 'yes' (3/5 passes agreed)]","anchors":["NIH DMS Policy Element 2 (NOT-OD-21-014) — 'Related Tools, Software and/or Code'","FAIR4RS Principles v1.0 (Chue Hong et al., 2022; RDA/FORCE11/ReSA) — FAIR Principles for Resear","FORCE11 Software Citation Principles (Smith, Katz & Niemeyer, 2016, PeerJ CS 2:e86)"],"scored":true,"signal":null},{"key":"x_funding_attribution","label":"Funder and award number","kind":"llm","weight":0.5,"fraction":1.0,"verdict":"yes","evidence":"This work was supported by the California Conservation Genomics Project, with funding provided to the University of California by the State of California, State Budget Act of 2019 [UC Award ID RSI-19-690224], with additional support from a National Science Foundation CAREER grant [DEB-1845682] to IJW.","grounded":true,"rationale":"The paper includes award/grant numbers attached to named funders.","anchors":["DataCite Metadata Schema 4.6 — 'FundingReference' property (funderName, funderIdentifier, award","Crossref Funder Registry — canonical funder identifiers for funding metadata","RDA-F2-01M — rich metadata provided to allow discovery (funding is part of the descriptive reco"],"scored":true,"signal":null}]}},"actions":[{"key":"r_reuse_license","dimension":"R","label":"Reuse licence","action":"Attach a standard, machine-readable open licence to the deposit — CC0 or CC BY, which is what Horizon Europe and most funders expect — and print the licence identifier in the paper. 'Free to use' is not a licence: it grants nothing a reuser's institution can rely on.","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"no","current":0.0,"evidence":null,"why":"The paper only licenses the article (CC BY-NC), not the data; no data reuse license is stated.","gain":16.67,"priority":"essential","scored":true},{"key":"i_open_nonproprietary_format","dimension":"I","label":"Open file format","action":"Release the data in an open, community-standard format (CSV/TSV, JSON, HDF5, NetCDF, FASTQ, VCF, NIfTI…) instead of — or alongside — any proprietary or instrument-native format, and name the format in the paper. A dataset that needs a €2,000 licence to open is not reusable. Prefer open genomics / sequencing formats such as FASTQ, BAM or VCF.","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"no","current":0.0,"evidence":null,"why":"The paper does not explicitly name the file format of the deposited data.","gain":8.33,"priority":"important","scored":true},{"key":"f_dataset_cited","dimension":"F","label":"Dataset formally cited","action":"Cite the dataset in the reference list like a publication — creator, year, title, repository, DOI/accession — and cite it in-text where it is used. Only a reference- list entry is machine-readable to Crossref/DataCite, and only a citation lets the data earn credit. Cite the genomics / sequencing repository accession (e.g. from GEO (GSE accession), SRA (SRP/SRR) or ENA/BioProject (PRJEB/PRJNA)) in the reference list.","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"partial","current":0.5,"evidence":"Data generated for this study are available under NCBI BioProject PRJNA720569.","why":"The dataset identifier appears in the body text and Table 2, but not as a reference-list entry.","gain":4.17,"priority":"important","scored":true},{"key":"a_access_conditions_stated","dimension":"A","label":"Access level labelled","action":"State the access level in words, using the standard vocabulary: 'These data are open access' / 'These data are controlled access'. A reader — and a harvester — should not have to infer the access level from the presence of a download link.","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"partial","current":0.5,"evidence":"Data generated for this study are available under NCBI BioProject PRJNA720569.","why":"The paper describes the action of accessing the data via NCBI but does not label the access level with a standard vocabulary term.","gain":0.0,"priority":"important","scored":false},{"key":"i_community_standard_vocabulary","dimension":"I","label":"Community standard / vocabulary","action":"Adopt and NAME your domain's data standard — the minimum-information checklist, metadata schema, or ontology your community uses (MIAME/MINSEQE, ISA-Tab, BIDS, an OBO ontology, HL7 FHIR/OMOP) — and say which one you followed. A reporting checklist standardises your paper; it does nothing for your data. In genomics / sequencing, describe the data with MIAME, MINSEQE or MIxS.","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"no","current":0.0,"evidence":null,"why":"No data or metadata community standard is named; only tools and reference databases are cited. [majority verdict 'no' (3/5 passes agreed)]","gain":0.0,"priority":"important","scored":false},{"key":"r_documentation_codebook","dimension":"R","label":"Documentation / codebook","action":"Ship a README and a data dictionary IN the deposit — every file, every variable, its units, its allowed values, its missing-value codes. It is the cheapest single thing that makes a dataset usable by someone who was not in the lab, and a table buried in the article does not travel with the data.","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"partial","current":0.5,"evidence":"Table 2. Sequencing and assembly statistics and accession numbers.","why":"The paper includes a table inside the article that defines assembly metrics, but no documentation object is said to accompany the data deposit. [majority verdict 'partial' (4/5 passes agreed)]","gain":0.0,"priority":"important","scored":false},{"key":"a_controlled_access_for_sensitive","dimension":"A","label":"Gatekeeper for sensitive data","action":"Route sensitive data through an institutional gatekeeper — deposit in a controlled- access repository (dbGaP, EGA) with a Data Access Committee and a published DUA — rather than through the corresponding author's inbox. An author-gated dataset dies with the author's email address, and 'on reasonable request' has been shown repeatedly not to yield data. For sensitive/human genomics / sequencing data, use a controlled-access repository such as dbGaP or EGA.","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"no","current":0.0,"evidence":null,"why":"The data are genome sequences from a non-human subject, and no gatekeeper is named or required.","gain":0.0,"priority":"useful","scored":false},{"key":"i_qualified_references","dimension":"I","label":"Identifiers for the resources the data depend on","action":"Cite by identifier every resource the data depend on — the source datasets' accessions, the reference build (GRCh38 / GCA_000001405.28), the cohort application number, the code DOI — and register those relations on the dataset record (IsDerivedFrom, IsSupplementTo). A name is not a link: it cannot be resolved, versioned, or followed by a machine.","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"no","current":0.0,"evidence":"An existing mitochondrial sequence for S. occidentalis (NCBI: AB079242.1) was used as the starting sequence.","why":"The paper references an external dataset (NCBI: AB079242.1) used in the analysis. [downgraded to 'no' — no verifiable quote from the paper] [majority verdict 'no' (4/5 passes agreed)]","gain":0.0,"priority":"useful","scored":false},{"key":"a_timeline_retention","dimension":"A","label":"Availability timing & retention","action":"State when the data become available AND how long they will be retained — cite the repository's preservation policy. NIH DMS Element 4 asks for both; most papers give neither.","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"partial","current":0.5,"evidence":"Data generated for this study are available under NCBI BioProject PRJNA720569.","why":"The paper states the data are available now but says nothing about how long they will persist. [majority verdict 'partial' (4/5 passes agreed)]","gain":0.0,"priority":"useful","scored":false}],"suggestions":["Attach a standard, machine-readable open licence to the deposit — CC0 or CC BY, which is what Horizon Europe and most funders expect — and print the licence identifier in the paper. 'Free to use' is not a licence: it grants nothing a reuser's institution can rely on.","Release the data in an open, community-standard format (CSV/TSV, JSON, HDF5, NetCDF, FASTQ, VCF, NIfTI…) instead of — or alongside — any proprietary or instrument-native format, and name the format in the paper. A dataset that needs a €2,000 licence to open is not reusable. Prefer open genomics / sequencing formats such as FASTQ, BAM or VCF.","Cite the dataset in the reference list like a publication — creator, year, title, repository, DOI/accession — and cite it in-text where it is used. Only a reference- list entry is machine-readable to Crossref/DataCite, and only a citation lets the data earn credit. Cite the genomics / sequencing repository accession (e.g. from GEO (GSE accession), SRA (SRP/SRR) or ENA/BioProject (PRJEB/PRJNA)) in the reference list.","State the access level in words, using the standard vocabulary: 'These data are open access' / 'These data are controlled access'. A reader — and a harvester — should not have to infer the access level from the presence of a download link.","Adopt and NAME your domain's data standard — the minimum-information checklist, metadata schema, or ontology your community uses (MIAME/MINSEQE, ISA-Tab, BIDS, an OBO ontology, HL7 FHIR/OMOP) — and say which one you followed. A reporting checklist standardises your paper; it does nothing for your data. In genomics / sequencing, describe the data with MIAME, MINSEQE or MIxS."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash","agent_version":"fair_agent_v8","fulltext_source":"epmc_xml"},"fair_model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash","fair_agent_version":"fair_agent_v8","fair_fulltext_source":"epmc_xml","fair_has_llm":true,"fair_computed_at":"2026-07-20T12:57:31.022472Z","clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}