Development of Quantitative Real-Time PCR for Detecting Environmental DNA Derived from Marine Macrophytes and Its Application to a Field Survey in Hiroshima Bay, Japan

Abstract

The sequestration and storage of carbon dioxide by marine macrophytes is called blue carbon; this ecosystem function of coastal marine ecosystems constitutes an important countermeasure to global climate change. The contribution of marine macrophytes to blue carbon requires a detailed examination of the organic carbon stock released by these macrophytes. Here, we introduce a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based environmental DNA (eDNA) system for the species-specific detection of marine macrophytes. and report its application in a field survey in Hiroshima Bay, Japan. A method of qPCR-based quantification was developed for mangrove, seagrass, Phaeophyceae, Rhodophyta and Chlorophyta species, or species-complex, collected from the Japanese coast to investigate their dynamics after they wither and die in the marine environment. A trial of the designed qPCR system was conducted using sediment samples from Hiroshima Bay. Ulva spp. were abundant in coastal areas of the bay, yet their eDNA in the sediments was scarce. In contrast, Zostera marina and the Sargassum subgenus Bactrophycus spp. were found at various sites in the bay, and high amounts of their eDNA were detected in the sediments. These results suggest that the fate of macrophyte-derived organic carbon after death varies among species.