Author:
Nguyen Bryan N.,Shen Elaine W.,Seemann Janina,Correa Adrienne M. S.,O’Donnell James L.,Altieri Andrew H.,Knowlton Nancy,Crandall Keith A.,Egan Scott P.,McMillan W. Owen,Leray Matthieu
Abstract
AbstractAccurate, rapid, and comprehensive biodiversity assessments are critical for investigating ecological processes and supporting conservation efforts. Environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys show promise as a way to effectively characterize fine-scale patterns of community composition. We tested whether a single PCR survey of eDNA in seawater using a broad metazoan primer could identify differences in community composition between five adjacent habitats at 19 sites across a tropical Caribbean bay in Panama. We paired this effort with visual fish surveys to compare methods for a conspicuous taxonomic group. eDNA revealed a tremendous diversity of animals (8,586 operational taxonomic units), including many small taxa that would be undetected in traditional in situ surveys. Fish comprised only 0.07% of the taxa detected by a broad COI primer, yet included 43 species not observed in the visual survey. eDNA revealed significant differences in fish and invertebrate community composition across adjacent habitats and areas of the bay driven in part by taxa known to be habitat-specialists or tolerant to wave action. Our results demonstrate the ability of broad eDNA surveys to identify biodiversity patterns in the ocean.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Reference82 articles.
1. Costanza, R. et al. Changes in the global value of ecosystem services. Glob. Environ. Chang. 26, 152–158 (2014).
2. Ryther, J. H. Photosynthesis and Fish Production in the Sea. Science (80-.). 166, 72–76 (1969).
3. Millenium Ecosystem Assessment. Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Current State and Trends, Volume 1. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Series (2005).
4. Gray, J. S. Marine biodiversity: patterns, threats and conservation needs. Biodivers. Conserv. 6, 153–175 (1997).
5. Spalding, M. D., Ravilious, C. & Green, E. P. World Atlas of Coral Reefs. (University of California Press, 2001).
Cited by
76 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献