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Fueyo Á, Sánchez O, Carleos C, Escudero A, Cordón J, Granero‐Castro J, Borrell YJ. Unlocking rivers' hidden diversity and ecological status using DNA metabarcoding in Northwest Spain. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e70110. [PMID: 39100209 PMCID: PMC11294579 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 07/05/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Rivers are crucial ecosystems supporting biodiversity and human well-being, yet they face increasing degradation globally. Traditional river biomonitoring methods based on morphological identification of macroinvertebrates present challenges in terms of taxonomic resolution and scalability. This study explores the application of DNA metabarcoding analysis in both bulk and environmental DNA (eDNA) samples for comprehensive assessment of macrozoobenthic biodiversity, detection of invasive and endangered species, and evaluation of river ecological status in northwestern Spain. DNA metabarcoding of homogenized bulk samples and water eDNA revealed a mean of 100 and 87 macrozoobenthos species per sample respectively. However, the specific composition was significantly different with only 27.3% of the total species being shared. It was not possible to identify all the OTUs to species level; only 17.43% and 49.4% of the OTUs generated could be identified to species level in the bulk and eDNA samples, respectively. Additionally, a total of 11 exotic species (two first records for the Iberian Peninsula and another three first records for Asturias region) and one endangered species were detected by molecular tools. Molecular methods showed significant correlations with morphological identification for EQR values (Ecological Quality Ratio) of IBMWP index, yet differences in inferred river ecological status were noted, with bulk samples tending to indicate higher status. Overall, DNA metabarcoding offers a promising approach for river biomonitoring, providing insights into biodiversity, invasive species, and ecological status within a single analysis. Further optimization and intercalibration are required for its implementation in routine biomonitoring programmes, but its scalability and multi-tasking capabilities position it as a valuable tool for integrated monitoring of river ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Álvaro Fueyo
- Environment and Sustainability Area, Taxus Medio AmbienteOviedoSpain
- Department of Functional Biology, GeneticsUniversity of OviedoOviedoSpain
| | - Omar Sánchez
- Environment and Sustainability Area, Taxus Medio AmbienteOviedoSpain
- Department of Organisms and Systems Biology, ZoologyUniversity of OviedoOviedoSpain
| | - Carlos Carleos
- Department of Statistics and Operations Research and Mathematics DidacticsUniversity of OviedoOviedoSpain
| | - Amando Escudero
- Environment and Sustainability Area, Taxus Medio AmbienteOviedoSpain
| | - Javier Cordón
- Environment and Sustainability Area, Taxus Medio AmbienteOviedoSpain
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Blackman RC, Carraro L, Keck F, Altermatt F. Measuring the state of aquatic environments using eDNA-upscaling spatial resolution of biotic indices. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230121. [PMID: 38705183 PMCID: PMC11070250 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Aquatic macroinvertebrates, including many aquatic insect orders, are a diverse and ecologically relevant organismal group yet they are strongly affected by anthropogenic activities. As many of these taxa are highly sensitive to environmental change, they offer a particularly good early warning system for human-induced change, thus leading to their intense monitoring. In aquatic ecosystems there is a plethora of biotic monitoring or biomonitoring approaches, with more than 300 assessment methods reported for freshwater taxa alone. Ultimately, monitoring of aquatic macroinvertebrates is used to calculate ecological indices describing the state of aquatic systems. Many of the methods and indices used are not only hard to compare, but especially difficult to scale in time and space. Novel DNA-based approaches to measure the state and change of aquatic environments now offer unprecedented opportunities, also for possible integration towards commonly applicable indices. Here, we first give a perspective on DNA-based approaches in the monitoring of aquatic organisms, with a focus on aquatic insects, and how to move beyond traditional point-based biotic indices. Second, we demonstrate a proof-of-concept for spatially upscaling ecological indices based on environmental DNA, demonstrating how integration of these novel molecular approaches with hydrological models allows an accurate evaluation at the catchment scale. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards a toolkit for global insect biodiversity monitoring'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosetta C. Blackman
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
| | - Luca Carraro
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
| | - François Keck
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
| | - Florian Altermatt
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
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Iwaszkiewicz-Eggebrecht E, Zizka V, Lynggaard C. Three steps towards comparability and standardization among molecular methods for characterizing insect communities. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230118. [PMID: 38705189 PMCID: PMC11070264 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Molecular methods are currently some of the best-suited technologies for implementation in insect monitoring. However, the field is developing rapidly and lacks agreement on methodology or community standards. To apply DNA-based methods in large-scale monitoring, and to gain insight across commensurate data, we need easy-to-implement standards that improve data comparability. Here, we provide three recommendations for how to improve and harmonize efforts in biodiversity assessment and monitoring via metabarcoding: (i) we should adopt the use of synthetic spike-ins, which will act as positive controls and internal standards; (ii) we should consider using several markers through a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach; and (iii) we should commit to the publication and transparency of all protocol-associated metadata in a standardized fashion. For (i), we provide a ready-to-use recipe for synthetic cytochrome c oxidase spike-ins, which enable between-sample comparisons. For (ii), we propose two gene regions for the implementation of multiplex PCR approaches, thereby achieving a more comprehensive community description. For (iii), we offer guidelines for transparent and unified reporting of field, wet-laboratory and dry-laboratory procedures, as a key to making comparisons between studies. Together, we feel that these three advances will result in joint quality and calibration standards rather than the current laboratory-specific proof of concepts. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards a toolkit for global insect biodiversity monitoring'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ela Iwaszkiewicz-Eggebrecht
- Bioinformatics and Genetics Department, Swedish Museum of Natural History, PO Box 50007, Stockholm, 104 05, Sweden
| | - Vera Zizka
- Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Museum Koenig Bonn, 53113, Germany
| | - Christina Lynggaard
- Section for Molecular Ecology & Evolution, Globe Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1353 Copenhagen, Denmark
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Blackman R, Couton M, Keck F, Kirschner D, Carraro L, Cereghetti E, Perrelet K, Bossart R, Brantschen J, Zhang Y, Altermatt F. Environmental DNA: The next chapter. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17355. [PMID: 38624076 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Molecular tools are an indispensable part of ecology and biodiversity sciences and implemented across all biomes. About a decade ago, the use and implementation of environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect biodiversity signals extracted from environmental samples opened new avenues of research. Initial eDNA research focused on understanding population dynamics of target species. Its scope thereafter broadened, uncovering previously unrecorded biodiversity via metabarcoding in both well-studied and understudied ecosystems across all taxonomic groups. The application of eDNA rapidly became an established part of biodiversity research, and a research field by its own. Here, we revisit key expectations made in a land-mark special issue on eDNA in Molecular Ecology in 2012 to frame the development in six key areas: (1) sample collection, (2) primer development, (3) biomonitoring, (4) quantification, (5) behaviour of DNA in the environment and (6) reference database development. We pinpoint the success of eDNA, yet also discuss shortfalls and expectations not met, highlighting areas of research priority and identify the unexpected developments. In parallel, our retrospective couples a screening of the peer-reviewed literature with a survey of eDNA users including academics, end-users and commercial providers, in which we address the priority areas to focus research efforts to advance the field of eDNA. With the rapid and ever-increasing pace of new technical advances, the future of eDNA looks bright, yet successful applications and best practices must become more interdisciplinary to reach its full potential. Our retrospect gives the tools and expectations towards concretely moving the field forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosetta Blackman
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Marjorie Couton
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - François Keck
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Dominik Kirschner
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Ecosystems and Landscape Evolution, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Landscape Dynamics & Ecology, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Luca Carraro
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Eva Cereghetti
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Kilian Perrelet
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Department of Urban Water Management, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Raphael Bossart
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Jeanine Brantschen
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Florian Altermatt
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
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5
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Mazurkiewicz M, Pawłowska J, Barrenechea Angeles I, Grzelak K, Deja K, Zaborska A, Pawłowski J, Włodarska-Kowalczuk M. Sediment DNA metabarcoding and morphology provide complementary insight into macrofauna and meiobenthos response to environmental gradients in an Arctic glacial fjord. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 198:106552. [PMID: 38788477 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Arctic fjords ecosystems are highly dynamic, with organisms exposed to various natural stressors along with productivity clines driven by advection of water masses from shelves. The benthic response to these environmental clines has been extensively studied using traditional, morphology-based approaches mostly focusing on macroinvertebrates. In this study we analyse the effects of glacially mediated disturbance on the biodiversity of benthic macrofauna and meiobenthos (meiofauna and Foraminifera) in a Svalbard fjord by comparing morphology and eDNA metabarcoding. Three genetic markers targeting metazoans (COI), meiofauna (18S V1V2) and Foraminifera (18S 37f) were analyzed. Univariate measures of alpha diversity and multivariate compositional dissimilarities were calculated and tested for similarities in response to environmental gradients using correlation analysis. Our study showed different taxonomic composition of morphological and molecular datasets for both macrofauna and meiobenthos. Some taxonomic groups while abundant in metabarcoding data were almost absent in morphology-based inventory and vice versa. In general, species richness and diversity measures in macrofauna morphological data were higher than in metabarcoding, and similar for the meiofauna. Both methodological approaches showed different patterns of response to the glacially mediated disturbance for the macrofauna and the meiobenthos. Macrofauna showed an evident distinction in taxonomic composition and a dramatic cline in alpha diversity indices between the outer and inner parts of fjord, while the meiobenthos showed a gradual change and more subtle responses to environmental changes along the fjord axis. The two methods can be seen as complementing rather than replacing each other. Morphological approach provides more accurate inventory of larger size species and more reliable quantitative data, while metabarcoding allows identification of inconspicuous taxa that are overlooked in morphology-based studies. As different taxa may show different sensitivities to environmental changes, both methods shall be used to monitor marine biodiversity in Arctic ecosystems and its response to dramatically changing environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikołaj Mazurkiewicz
- Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712, Sopot, Poland.
| | - Joanna Pawłowska
- Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712, Sopot, Poland
| | - Inés Barrenechea Angeles
- Department of Geosciences, The Arctic University of Norway, Dramsvegen 201, 9010, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Katarzyna Grzelak
- Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712, Sopot, Poland
| | - Kajetan Deja
- Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712, Sopot, Poland
| | - Agata Zaborska
- Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712, Sopot, Poland
| | - Jan Pawłowski
- Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712, Sopot, Poland; ID-Gene Ecodiagnostics, Chemin du Pont-du-Centenaire 109, 1228, Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland
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6
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van der Lee GH, Polling M, van der Laan I, Kodde L, Verdonschot RCM. From DNA to diagnostics: A case study using macroinvertebrate metabarcoding to assess the effectiveness of restoration measures in a Dutch stream. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 923:171413. [PMID: 38442754 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Stream ecosystems are under pressure due to multiple stressors. Restoration measures can halt further degradation and improve their ecological status. However, assessment of the effectiveness of the implemented measures is often insufficient because of logistic and financial constraints. DNA-metabarcoding has been proposed to scale up sample processing, although its application as a diagnostic tool has received less attention. The aim of our study was to evaluate if DNA-metabarcoding of stream macroinvertebrates can be used to compute a stressor-specific index to assess the effectiveness of a stream restoration project. For this purpose, we sampled the upstream, restored, and downstream section of a recently restored lowland stream in the Netherlands. At each site, we applied three different methods of macroinvertebrate identification: morphological identification of bulk samples (morphology), DNA-metabarcoding of the same bulk samples (DNA) and metabarcoding of eDNA extracted from the water (eDNA). First, we compared the community composition identified by each method. The communities identified by morphology and DNA were highly similar, whereas the communities generated by the eDNA differed. Second, we analysed whether the identification methods could be used to assess the effectiveness of the restoration project, focussing on a stressor-specific index for flow as the restoration measures aimed at improving flow conditions. Both the morphology and bulk DNA samples indicated improved flow conditions in the restored section of the stream (i.e., less stress from the reduction or absence of flow than in the unrestored sections). Contrary, the eDNA-water samples did not differentiate the amount of stress throughout the catchment, although applying recent developments in eDNA sampling could lead to more robust results. In conclusion, this study forms proof of concept that DNA from bulk samples can be utilized to assess the effectiveness of restoration measures, showing the added value of this approach for water managers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gea H van der Lee
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen UR, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Marcel Polling
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen UR, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Iris van der Laan
- Waterschap de Dommel, Bosscheweg 56, 5283 WB Boxtel, the Netherlands
| | - Linda Kodde
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen UR, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Ralf C M Verdonschot
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen UR, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
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Papaioannou C, Geladakis G, Kommata V, Batargias C, Lagoumintzis G. Insights in Pharmaceutical Pollution: The Prospective Role of eDNA Metabarcoding. TOXICS 2023; 11:903. [PMID: 37999555 PMCID: PMC10675236 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11110903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Environmental pollution is a growing threat to natural ecosystems and one of the world's most pressing concerns. The increasing worldwide use of pharmaceuticals has elevated their status as significant emerging contaminants. Pharmaceuticals enter aquatic environments through multiple pathways related to anthropogenic activity. Their high consumption, insufficient waste treatment, and the incapacity of organisms to completely metabolize them contribute to their accumulation in aquatic environments, posing a threat to all life forms. Various analytical methods have been used to quantify pharmaceuticals. Biotechnology advancements based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques, like eDNA metabarcoding, have enabled the development of new methods for assessing and monitoring the ecotoxicological effects of pharmaceuticals. eDNA metabarcoding is a valuable biomonitoring tool for pharmaceutical pollution because it (a) provides an efficient method to assess and predict pollution status, (b) identifies pollution sources, (c) tracks changes in pharmaceutical pollution levels over time, (d) assesses the ecological impact of pharmaceutical pollution, (e) helps prioritize cleanup and mitigation efforts, and (f) offers insights into the diversity and composition of microbial and other bioindicator communities. This review highlights the issue of aquatic pharmaceutical pollution while emphasizing the importance of using modern NGS-based biomonitoring actions to assess its environmental effects more consistently and effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charikleia Papaioannou
- Department of Biology, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece; (C.P.); (G.G.); (V.K.)
| | - George Geladakis
- Department of Biology, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece; (C.P.); (G.G.); (V.K.)
| | - Vasiliki Kommata
- Department of Biology, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece; (C.P.); (G.G.); (V.K.)
| | - Costas Batargias
- Department of Biology, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece; (C.P.); (G.G.); (V.K.)
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Gleason JE, Hanner RH, Cottenie K. Hidden diversity: DNA metabarcoding reveals hyper-diverse benthic invertebrate communities. BMC Ecol Evol 2023; 23:19. [PMID: 37198575 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-023-02118-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Freshwater ecosystems, such as streams, are facing increasing pressures from agricultural land use and recent literature stresses the importance of robust biomonitoring to detect trends in insect decline globally. Aquatic insects and other macroinvertebrates are often used as indicators of ecological condition in freshwater biomonitoring programs; however, these diverse groups can present challenges to morphological identification and coarse-level taxonomic resolution can mask patterns in community composition. Here, we incorporate molecular identification (DNA metabarcoding) into a stream biomonitoring sampling design to explore the diversity and variability of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities at small spatial scales. While individual stream reaches can be very heterogenous, most community ecology studies focus on larger, landscape-level patterns of community composition. A high degree of community variability at the local scale has important implications for both biomonitoring and ecological research, and the incorporation of DNA metabarcoding into local biodiversity assessments will inform future sampling protocols. RESULTS We sampled twenty streams in southern Ontario, Canada, for aquatic macroinvertebrates across multiple time points and assessed local community variability by comparing field replicates taken ten meters apart within the same stream. Using bulk-tissue DNA metabarcoding, we revealed that aquatic macroinvertebrate communities are highly diverse at small spatial scales with unprecedented levels of local taxonomic turnover. We detected over 1600 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) from 149 families, and a single insect family, the Chironomidae, contained over one third of the total number of OTUs detected in our study. Benthic communities were largely comprised of rare taxa detected only once per stream despite multiple biological replicates (24-94% rare taxa per site). In addition to numerous rare taxa, our species pool estimates indicated that there was a large proportion of taxa that remained undetected by our sampling regime (14-94% per site). Our sites were located across a gradient of agricultural activity, and while we predicted that increased land use would homogenize benthic communities, this was not supported as within-stream dissimilarity was unrelated to land use. Within-stream dissimilarity estimates were consistently high for all levels of taxonomic resolution (invertebrate families, invertebrate OTUs, chironomid OTUs), indicating stream communities are very dissimilar at small spatial scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Erin Gleason
- Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
| | - Robert H Hanner
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Karl Cottenie
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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9
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Chua PYS, Bourlat SJ, Ferguson C, Korlevic P, Zhao L, Ekrem T, Meier R, Lawniczak MKN. Future of DNA-based insect monitoring. Trends Genet 2023:S0168-9525(23)00038-0. [PMID: 36907721 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2023.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Insects are crucial for ecosystem health but climate change and pesticide use are driving massive insect decline. To mitigate this loss, we need new and effective monitoring techniques. Over the past decade there has been a shift to DNA-based techniques. We describe key emerging techniques for sample collection. We suggest that the selection of tools should be broadened, and that DNA-based insect monitoring data need to be integrated more rapidly into policymaking. We argue that there are four key areas for advancement, including the generation of more complete DNA barcode databases to interpret molecular data, standardisation of molecular methods, scaling up of monitoring efforts, and integrating molecular tools with other technologies that allow continuous, passive monitoring based on images and/or laser imaging, detection, and ranging (LIDAR).
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Affiliation(s)
- Physilia Y S Chua
- Tree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Sarah J Bourlat
- Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Museum Koenig, Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany
| | - Cameron Ferguson
- Tree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Petra Korlevic
- Tree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Leia Zhao
- Tree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Torbjørn Ekrem
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Rudolf Meier
- Museum für Naturkunde, Center for Integrative Biodiversity Discovery, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mara K N Lawniczak
- Tree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
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Arribas P, Andújar C, Bohmann K, deWaard JR, Economo EP, Elbrecht V, Geisen S, Goberna M, Krehenwinkel H, Novotny V, Zinger L, Creedy TJ, Meramveliotakis E, Noguerales V, Overcast I, Morlon H, Papadopoulou A, Vogler AP, Emerson BC. Toward global integration of biodiversity big data: a harmonized metabarcode data generation module for terrestrial arthropods. Gigascience 2022; 11:6646445. [PMID: 35852418 PMCID: PMC9295367 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giac065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Metazoan metabarcoding is emerging as an essential strategy for inventorying biodiversity, with diverse projects currently generating massive quantities of community-level data. The potential for integrating across such data sets offers new opportunities to better understand biodiversity and how it might respond to global change. However, large-scale syntheses may be compromised if metabarcoding workflows differ from each other. There are ongoing efforts to improve standardization for the reporting of inventory data. However, harmonization at the stage of generating metabarcode data has yet to be addressed. A modular framework for harmonized data generation offers a pathway to navigate the complex structure of terrestrial metazoan biodiversity. Here, through our collective expertise as practitioners, method developers, and researchers leading metabarcoding initiatives to inventory terrestrial biodiversity, we seek to initiate a harmonized framework for metabarcode data generation, with a terrestrial arthropod module. We develop an initial set of submodules covering the 5 main steps of metabarcode data generation: (i) sample acquisition; (ii) sample processing; (iii) DNA extraction; (iv) polymerase chain reaction amplification, library preparation, and sequencing; and (v) DNA sequence and metadata deposition, providing a backbone for a terrestrial arthropod module. To achieve this, we (i) identified key points for harmonization, (ii) reviewed the current state of the art, and (iii) distilled existing knowledge within submodules, thus promoting best practice by providing guidelines and recommendations to reduce the universe of methodological options. We advocate the adoption and further development of the terrestrial arthropod module. We further encourage the development of modules for other biodiversity fractions as an essential step toward large-scale biodiversity synthesis through harmonization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Arribas
- Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology (IPNA-CSIC), 38206 San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Spain
| | - Carmelo Andújar
- Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology (IPNA-CSIC), 38206 San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Spain
| | - Kristine Bohmann
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Globe Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1353 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jeremy R deWaard
- Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph, N1G2W1 Guelph, Canada.,School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, N1G2W1 Guelph, Canada
| | - Evan P Economo
- Biodiversity and Biocomplexity Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 904-0495 Japan
| | - Vasco Elbrecht
- Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring (ZBM), Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig,D-53113 Bonn, Germany
| | - Stefan Geisen
- Laboratory of Nematology, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marta Goberna
- Department of Environment and Agronomy, INIA-CSIC, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Vojtech Novotny
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, 37005 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 37005 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Lucie Zinger
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), Département de biologie, École normale supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, 75005 Paris, France.,Naturalis Biodiversity Center, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas J Creedy
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, SW7 5BD London, UK
| | | | - Víctor Noguerales
- Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology (IPNA-CSIC), 38206 San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Spain
| | - Isaac Overcast
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), Département de biologie, École normale supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Hélène Morlon
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), Département de biologie, École normale supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Anna Papadopoulou
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, 1678 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Alfried P Vogler
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, SW7 5BD London, UK.,Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ London, UK
| | - Brent C Emerson
- Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology (IPNA-CSIC), 38206 San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Spain
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11
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Bohmann K, Elbrecht V, Carøe C, Bista I, Leese F, Bunce M, Yu DW, Seymour M, Dumbrell AJ, Creer S. Strategies for sample labelling and library preparation in DNA metabarcoding studies. Mol Ecol Resour 2022; 22:1231-1246. [PMID: 34551203 PMCID: PMC9293284 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Metabarcoding of DNA extracted from environmental or bulk specimen samples is increasingly used to profile biota in basic and applied biodiversity research because of its targeted nature that allows sequencing of genetic markers from many samples in parallel. To achieve this, PCR amplification is carried out with primers designed to target a taxonomically informative marker within a taxonomic group, and sample-specific nucleotide identifiers are added to the amplicons prior to sequencing. The latter enables assignment of the sequences back to the samples they originated from. Nucleotide identifiers can be added during the metabarcoding PCR and during "library preparation", that is, when amplicons are prepared for sequencing. Different strategies to achieve this labelling exist. All have advantages, challenges and limitations, some of which can lead to misleading results, and in the worst case compromise the fidelity of the metabarcoding data. Given the range of questions addressed using metabarcoding, ensuring that data generation is robust and fit for the chosen purpose is critically important for practitioners seeking to employ metabarcoding for biodiversity assessments. Here, we present an overview of the three main workflows for sample-specific labelling and library preparation in metabarcoding studies on Illumina sequencing platforms; one-step PCR, two-step PCR, and tagged PCR. Further, we distill the key considerations for researchers seeking to select an appropriate metabarcoding strategy for their specific study. Ultimately, by gaining insights into the consequences of different metabarcoding workflows, we hope to further consolidate the power of metabarcoding as a tool to assess biodiversity across a range of applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Bohmann
- Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesSection for Evolutionary GenomicsGlobe InstituteUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Vasco Elbrecht
- Department of Environmental Systems ScienceETH ZurichZürichSwitzerland
| | - Christian Carøe
- Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesSection for Evolutionary GenomicsGlobe InstituteUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Iliana Bista
- Department of GeneticsUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Tree of LifeWellcome Sanger InstituteHinxtonUK
| | - Florian Leese
- Aquatic Ecosystem ResearchFaculty of BiologyUniversity of Duisburg‐EssenEssenGermany
| | - Michael Bunce
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) LaboratorySchool of Molecular and Life SciencesCurtin UniversityPerthWAAustralia
| | - Douglas W. Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and EvolutionKunming Institute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
- School of Biological SciencesNorwich Research ParkUniversity of East AngliaNorwichUK
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and GeneticsChinese Academy of SciencesKunming YunnanChina
| | - Mathew Seymour
- Department of EcologySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsalaSweden
| | | | - Simon Creer
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution GroupSchool of Natural SciencesBangor UniversityGwyneddUK
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12
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Couton M, Lévêque L, Daguin-Thiébaut C, Comtet T, Viard F. Water eDNA metabarcoding is effective in detecting non-native species in marinas, but detection errors still hinder its use for passive monitoring. BIOFOULING 2022; 38:367-383. [PMID: 35575060 DOI: 10.1080/08927014.2022.2075739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Marinas are high-priority targets for marine non-indigenous species (NIS), where they compose a large portion of the biofouling communities. The practicality of water samples collection makes environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding an interesting tool for routine NIS surveys. Here the effectiveness of water-eDNA-metabarcoding to identify biofouling NIS, in 10 marinas from western France, was examined. Morphological identification of specimens collected in quadrats brought out 18 sessile benthic NIS beneath floating pontoons. Water-eDNA-metabarcoding detected two thirds of them, failing to detect important NIS. However, sampling and bioinformatics filtering steps can be optimized to identify more species. In addition, this method allowed the detection of additional NIS from neighboring micro-habitats. Caution should, however, be taken when reporting putative novel NIS, because of errors in species assignment. This work highlights that water-eDNA-metabarcoding is effective for active (targeted) NIS surveys and could be significantly improved for its further use in marine NIS passive surveys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie Couton
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7144, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Place Georges Teissier, Roscoff, France
| | - Laurent Lévêque
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, FR 2424, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Place Georges Teissier, Roscoff, France
| | - Claire Daguin-Thiébaut
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7144, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Place Georges Teissier, Roscoff, France
| | - Thierry Comtet
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7144, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Place Georges Teissier, Roscoff, France
| | - Frédérique Viard
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7144, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Place Georges Teissier, Roscoff, France
- ISEM, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
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13
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Keck F, Blackman RC, Bossart R, Brantschen J, Couton M, Hürlemann S, Kirschner D, Locher N, Zhang H, Altermatt F. Meta-analysis shows both congruence and complementarity of DNA and eDNA metabarcoding to traditional methods for biological community assessment. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:1820-1835. [PMID: 35075700 PMCID: PMC9303474 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
DNA metabarcoding is increasingly used for the assessment of aquatic communities, and numerous studies have investigated the consistency of this technique with traditional morpho‐taxonomic approaches. These individual studies have used DNA metabarcoding to assess diversity and community structure of aquatic organisms both in marine and freshwater systems globally over the last decade. However, a systematic analysis of the comparability and effectiveness of DNA‐based community assessment across all of these studies has hitherto been lacking. Here, we performed the first meta‐analysis of available studies comparing traditional methods and DNA metabarcoding to measure and assess biological diversity of key aquatic groups, including plankton, microphytobentos, macroinvertebrates, and fish. Across 215 data sets, we found that DNA metabarcoding provides richness estimates that are globally consistent to those obtained using traditional methods, both at local and regional scale. DNA metabarcoding also generates species inventories that are highly congruent with traditional methods for fish. Contrastingly, species inventories of plankton, microphytobenthos and macroinvertebrates obtained by DNA metabarcoding showed pronounced differences to traditional methods, missing some taxa but at the same time detecting otherwise overseen diversity. The method is generally sufficiently advanced to study the composition of fish communities and replace more invasive traditional methods. For smaller organisms, like macroinvertebrates, plankton and microphytobenthos, DNA metabarcoding may continue to give complementary rather than identical estimates compared to traditional approaches. Systematic and comparable data collection will increase the understanding of different aspects of this complementarity, and increase the effectiveness of the method and adequate interpretation of the results.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Keck
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Aquatic Ecology, Überlandstrasse 133, CH-8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Rosetta C Blackman
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Aquatic Ecology, Überlandstrasse 133, CH-8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland.,Research Priority Programme Global Change and Biodiversity (URPP-GCB), University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Raphael Bossart
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Aquatic Ecology, Überlandstrasse 133, CH-8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Jeanine Brantschen
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Aquatic Ecology, Überlandstrasse 133, CH-8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland.,Research Priority Programme Global Change and Biodiversity (URPP-GCB), University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Marjorie Couton
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Aquatic Ecology, Überlandstrasse 133, CH-8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Samuel Hürlemann
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Aquatic Ecology, Überlandstrasse 133, CH-8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Dominik Kirschner
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Aquatic Ecology, Überlandstrasse 133, CH-8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Landscape Ecology, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental System Science, ETH Zürich, Universitätstr. 16, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland.,Landscape Ecology, Land Change Science, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Nadine Locher
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Aquatic Ecology, Überlandstrasse 133, CH-8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Heng Zhang
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Aquatic Ecology, Überlandstrasse 133, CH-8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland.,Research Priority Programme Global Change and Biodiversity (URPP-GCB), University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Florian Altermatt
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Aquatic Ecology, Überlandstrasse 133, CH-8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland.,Research Priority Programme Global Change and Biodiversity (URPP-GCB), University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland
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14
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Leite BR, Vieira PE, Troncoso JS, Costa FO. Comparing species detection success between molecular markers in DNA metabarcoding of coastal macroinvertebrates. METABARCODING AND METAGENOMICS 2021. [DOI: 10.3897/mbmg.5.70063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA metabarcoding has great potential to improve marine biomonitoring programs by providing a rapid and accurate assessment of species composition in zoobenthic communities. However, some methodological improvements are still required, especially regarding failed detections, primers efficiency and incompleteness of databases. Here we assessed the efficiency of two different marker loci (COI and 18S) and three primer pairs in marine species detection through DNA metabarcoding of the macrozoobenthic communities colonizing three types of artificial substrates (slate, PVC and granite), sampled between 3 and 15 months of deployment. To accurately compare detection success between markers, we also compared the representativeness of the detected species in public databases and revised the reliability of the taxonomic assignments. Globally, we recorded extensive complementarity in the species detected by each marker, with 69% of the species exclusively detected by either 18S or COI. Individually, each of the three primer pairs recovered, at most, 52% of all species detected on the samples, showing also different abilities to amplify specific taxonomic groups. Most of the detected species have reliable reference sequences in their respective databases (82% for COI and 72% for 18S), meaning that when a species was detected by one marker and not by the other, it was most likely due to faulty amplification, and not by lack of matching sequences in the database. Overall, results showed the impact of marker and primer applied on species detection ability and indicated that, currently, if only a single marker or primer pair is employed in marine zoobenthos metabarcoding, a fair portion of the diversity may be overlooked.
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15
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Fayram AH, Wood JS, Swigle B. A comparison of genetically and morphometrically identified macroinvertebrate community index scores with implications for aquatic life use attainment. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2021; 194:18. [PMID: 34888736 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09525-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Measures of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities are often used to characterize water quality and indicate whether waterbodies are meeting management expectations. The accuracy of these measures depends on the skill and experience of the person identifying the macroinvertebrates, and obtaining these measures can be relatively expensive due to the time necessary for identification. Utilizing genetic identification of macroinvertebrate taxa has the potential to reduce the time of sample processing, identify a greater number of taxa, and increase the resolution of identification. We compared Colorado multi-metric index (MMI) scores from seven locations in the Big Thompson River, CO, based on genetic and morphometric identification and estimated the ability of MMI scores based on genetic identification to characterize aquatic life use attainment management thresholds. We found a significant linear relationship (p = 0.002, R2 = 0.87) between MMI scores generated by genetic and morphological identification. MMIs support the following aquatic life use designations as defined by the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission: Impaired < 40, Attaining > 48, and Ambiguous 40-48. These values correspond to MMIs based on genetic identification as Impaired < 20, Attaining > 64, and Ambiguous = 21-63 based on the prediction interval of the regression equation. Our results suggest that using genetically identified macroinvertebrates to estimate MMI scores can provide some degree of certainty regarding aquatic life use designations, and while it may be inappropriate at the current time to entirely replace morphologically based biotic integrity measures with those based on molecular identification, there are opportunities in their use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew H Fayram
- Loveland Water and Power, 902 S. Boise Ave, Loveland, CO, 80537, USA.
| | - John S Wood
- Pisces Molecular, 1600 Range Street, Suite 201, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
| | - Benjamin Swigle
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 317 W Prospect Rd, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA
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16
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Buchner D, Macher TH, Beermann AJ, Werner MT, Leese F. Standardized high-throughput biomonitoring using DNA metabarcoding: Strategies for the adoption of automated liquid handlers. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ECOTECHNOLOGY 2021; 8:100122. [PMID: 36156998 PMCID: PMC9488008 DOI: 10.1016/j.ese.2021.100122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Reliable and comprehensive monitoring data are required to trace and counteract biodiversity loss. High-throughput metabarcoding using DNA extracted from community samples (bulk) or from water or sediment (environmental DNA) has revolutionized biomonitoring, given the capability to assess biodiversity across the tree of life rapidly with feasible effort and at a modest price. DNA metabarcoding can be upscaled to process hundreds of samples in parallel. However, while automated high-throughput analysis workflows are well-established in the medical sector, manual sample processing still predominates in biomonitoring laboratory workflows limiting the upscaling and standardization for routine monitoring applications. Here we present an automated, scalable, and reproducible metabarcoding workflow to extract DNA from bulk samples, perform PCR and library preparation on a liquid handler. Key features are the independent sample replication throughout the workflow and the use of many negative controls for quality assurance and quality control. We generated two datasets: i) a validation dataset consisting of 42 individual arthropod specimens of different species, and ii) a routine monitoring dataset consisting of 60 stream macroinvertebrate bulk samples. As a marker, we used the mitochondrial COI gene. Our results show that the developed single-deck workflow is free of laboratory-derived contamination and produces highly consistent results. Minor deviations between replicates are mostly due to stochastic differences for low abundant OTUs. Thus, we successfully demonstrated that robotic liquid handling can be used reliably from DNA extraction to final library preparation on a single deck, thereby substantially increasing throughput, reducing costs, and increasing data robustness for biodiversity assessments and monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Buchner
- University of Duisburg-Essen, Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany
| | - Till-Hendrik Macher
- University of Duisburg-Essen, Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany
| | - Arne J. Beermann
- University of Duisburg-Essen, Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany
- University of Duisburg-Essen, Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), Universitätsstr. 3, 45141, Essen, Germany
| | - Marie-Thérése Werner
- University of Duisburg-Essen, Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany
| | - Florian Leese
- University of Duisburg-Essen, Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany
- University of Duisburg-Essen, Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), Universitätsstr. 3, 45141, Essen, Germany
- Corresponding author. University of Duisburg-Essen, Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141 Essen, Germany.
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17
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Mitochondrial Genomes, Phylogenetic Associations, and SNP Recovery for the Key Invasive Ponto-Caspian Amphipods in Europe. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms221910300. [PMID: 34638649 PMCID: PMC8509019 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221910300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2021] [Revised: 09/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The Ponto-Caspian region is the main donor of invasive amphipods to freshwater ecosystems, with at least 13 species successfully established in European inland waters. Dikerogammarus spp. and Pontogammarus robustoides are among the most successful, due to their strong invasive impact on local biota. However, genomic knowledge about these invaders is scarce, while phylogeography and population genetics have been based on short fragments of mitochondrial markers or nuclear microsatellites. In this study, we provide: (i) a reconstruction of six mitogenomes for four invasive gammarids (D. villosus, D. haemobaphes, D. bispinosus, and P. robustoides); (ii) a comparison between the structure of the newly obtained mitogenomes and those from the literature; (iii) SNP calling rates for individual D. villosus and D. haemobaphes from different invasion sites across Europe; and (iv) the first time-calibrated full mitogenome phylogeny reconstruction of several Ponto-Caspian taxa. We found that, in comparison to other gammarids, the mitogenomes of Ponto-Caspian species show a translocation between the tRNA-E and tRNA-R positions. Phylogenetic reconstruction using the mitogenomes identified that Ponto-Caspian gammarids form a well-supported group that originated in the Miocene. Our study supports paraphyly in the family Gammaridae. These provided mitogenomes will serve as vital genetic resources for the development of new markers for PCR-based identification methods and demographic studies.
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18
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Buchner D, Haase P, Leese F. Wet grinding of invertebrate bulk samples – a scalable and cost-efficient protocol for metabarcoding and metagenomics. METABARCODING AND METAGENOMICS 2021. [DOI: 10.3897/mbmg.5.67533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Most metabarcoding protocols for invertebrate bulk samples start with sample homogenisation, followed by DNA extraction, amplification of a specific marker region, and sequencing. Many of the above-mentioned laboratory steps have been verified thoroughly and best practice strategies exist, yet, no clear recommendation for the basis of almost all metabarcoding studies exists: the homogenisation of samples itself. Two different categories of devices are typically used for homogenisation: bead mills or blenders. Both have upsides and downsides. Bead mills rely on single-use plastics and therefore produce a lot of waste and are expensive. In addition to that, processing times can go up to 30 minutes making them unsuitable for large-scale studies. Blenders can handle larger sample volumes in a shorter time, and be cleaned – yet suffer from an increased risk of cross-contamination. We aimed to develop a fast, robust, cheap, and reliable sample homogenisation protocol that overcomes limitations of both approaches, i.e. does not produce difficult to discard waste and avoid single-use plastics while reducing overall costs. We tested the performance of the new protocol using six size-sorted Malaise trap samples and six unsorted stream macroinvertebrate kick-net samples. We used 14 replicates per sample and included many negative controls at different steps of the protocol to quantify the impacts of i) insufficient homogenisation and ii) cross-contamination. Our results show that 3-min homogenisation is sufficient to recover about 80% of OTUs per sample in each replicate and that a non-hazardous DIY cleaning solution provides an effective and efficient way of cleaning. The improvements of the protocol in terms of speed, ease of handling, an overall reduction of costs as well as the documented reliability and robustness make it an important candidate for sample homogenisation after sampling in particular for large-scale and regulatory metabarcoding but also metagenomics biodiversity assessments and monitoring.
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19
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Cordier T, Alonso‐Sáez L, Apothéloz‐Perret‐Gentil L, Aylagas E, Bohan DA, Bouchez A, Chariton A, Creer S, Frühe L, Keck F, Keeley N, Laroche O, Leese F, Pochon X, Stoeck T, Pawlowski J, Lanzén A. Ecosystems monitoring powered by environmental genomics: A review of current strategies with an implementation roadmap. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:2937-2958. [PMID: 32416615 PMCID: PMC8358956 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 04/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
A decade after environmental scientists integrated high-throughput sequencing technologies in their toolbox, the genomics-based monitoring of anthropogenic impacts on the biodiversity and functioning of ecosystems is yet to be implemented by regulatory frameworks. Despite the broadly acknowledged potential of environmental genomics to this end, technical limitations and conceptual issues still stand in the way of its broad application by end-users. In addition, the multiplicity of potential implementation strategies may contribute to a perception that the routine application of this methodology is premature or "in development", hence restraining regulators from binding these tools into legal frameworks. Here, we review recent implementations of environmental genomics-based methods, applied to the biomonitoring of ecosystems. By taking a general overview, without narrowing our perspective to particular habitats or groups of organisms, this paper aims to compare, review and discuss the strengths and limitations of four general implementation strategies of environmental genomics for monitoring: (a) Taxonomy-based analyses focused on identification of known bioindicators or described taxa; (b) De novo bioindicator analyses; (c) Structural community metrics including inferred ecological networks; and (d) Functional community metrics (metagenomics or metatranscriptomics). We emphasise the utility of the three latter strategies to integrate meiofauna and microorganisms that are not traditionally utilised in biomonitoring because of difficult taxonomic identification. Finally, we propose a roadmap for the implementation of environmental genomics into routine monitoring programmes that leverage recent analytical advancements, while pointing out current limitations and future research needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tristan Cordier
- Department of Genetics and EvolutionScience IIIUniversity of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Laura Alonso‐Sáez
- AZTIMarine ResearchBasque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA)Spain
| | | | - Eva Aylagas
- Red Sea Research Center (RSRC)Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE)King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)ThuwalSaudi Arabia
| | - David A. Bohan
- AgroécologieINRAEUniversity of BourgogneUniversity Bourgogne Franche‐ComtéDijonFrance
| | | | - Anthony Chariton
- Department of Biological SciencesMacquarie UniversitySydneyNSWAustralia
| | - Simon Creer
- School of Natural SciencesBangor UniversityGwyneddUK
| | - Larissa Frühe
- Department of EcologyTechnische Universität KaiserslauternKaiserslauternGermany
| | | | - Nigel Keeley
- Benthic Resources and Processes GroupInstitute of Marine ResearchTromsøNorway
| | - Olivier Laroche
- Benthic Resources and Processes GroupInstitute of Marine ResearchTromsøNorway
| | - Florian Leese
- Aquatic Ecosystem ResearchFaculty of BiologyUniversity of Duisburg‐EssenEssenGermany
- Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU)University of Duisburg‐EssenEssenGermany
| | - Xavier Pochon
- Coastal & Freshwater GroupCawthron InstituteNelsonNew Zealand
- Institute of Marine ScienceUniversity of AucklandWarkworthNew Zealand
| | - Thorsten Stoeck
- Department of EcologyTechnische Universität KaiserslauternKaiserslauternGermany
| | - Jan Pawlowski
- Department of Genetics and EvolutionScience IIIUniversity of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
- ID‐Gene EcodiagnosticsGenevaSwitzerland
- Institute of OceanologyPolish Academy of SciencesSopotPoland
| | - Anders Lanzén
- AZTIMarine ResearchBasque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA)Spain
- Basque Foundation for ScienceIKERBASQUEBilbaoSpain
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20
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Ibabe A, Miralles L, Carleos CE, Soto-López V, Menéndez-Teleña D, Bartolomé M, Montes HJ, González M, Dopico E, Garcia-Vazquez E, Borrell YJ. Building on gAMBI in ports for a challenging biological invasions scenario: Blue-gNIS as a proof of concept. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 169:105340. [PMID: 33930798 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The status of aquatic ecosystems has historically been monitored by the use of biotic indices. However, few biotic measures consider the presence of non-indigenous species as a sign of anthropogenic pollution and habitat disturbance even when this may seriously affect the metric scores and ecological status classifications of an environment. Today, biological invasions are currently one of the greatest threats to biodiversity and sustainable blue economies around the world. In this work, environmental assessments were conducted in the Port of Gijon, Northern Spain, using eDNA metabarcoding, and the gAMBI (genetics based AZTI Marine Biotic Index) was estimated. Results indicate a high/good ecological status within the port. However, nine non-indigenous species and five invasive species were found, and a modification of the gAMBI that includes species invasiveness was proposed: Blue-gNIS. The index was preliminary tested against existing validated indices such as gAMBI, BENTIX (based on the ecology of macroinvertebrates) and ALEX (based on the invasiveness of the species). Blue-gNIS classified the port in a good ecological status and showed its potential usefulness to achieve more complete water quality assessments of ports.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Ibabe
- Genetics, Department of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, C/ Julián Clavería s/n, 33006, Oviedo, Spain
| | - L Miralles
- Genetics, Department of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, C/ Julián Clavería s/n, 33006, Oviedo, Spain; Ecohydros S.L., Polígono Industrial de Cros, Edif. 5-Nave 8, 39600, Maliaño, Cantabria, Spain
| | - C E Carleos
- Department of Statistics and Operations Research and Mathematics Didactics, University of Oviedo, Facultad de Ciencias, C/ Federico García Lorca, s/n, 33007, Oviedo, Spain
| | - V Soto-López
- Department of Marine Science and Technology, University of Oviedo, Escuela Superior de Marina Civil, Campus de Gijón C/Blasco de Garay s/n, 33203, Gijón, Asturias, Spain
| | - D Menéndez-Teleña
- Department of Marine Science and Technology, University of Oviedo, Escuela Superior de Marina Civil, Campus de Gijón C/Blasco de Garay s/n, 33203, Gijón, Asturias, Spain
| | - M Bartolomé
- Department of Marine Science and Technology, University of Oviedo, Escuela Superior de Marina Civil, Campus de Gijón C/Blasco de Garay s/n, 33203, Gijón, Asturias, Spain
| | - H J Montes
- Department of Marine Science and Technology, University of Oviedo, Escuela Superior de Marina Civil, Campus de Gijón C/Blasco de Garay s/n, 33203, Gijón, Asturias, Spain
| | - M González
- CEO of Environmental Sustainability, Port Authority of Gijon, Spain
| | - E Dopico
- Department of Educational Sciences, C/ Aniceto Sela s/n, 33005, Oviedo, Spain
| | - E Garcia-Vazquez
- Genetics, Department of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, C/ Julián Clavería s/n, 33006, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Y J Borrell
- Genetics, Department of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, C/ Julián Clavería s/n, 33006, Oviedo, Spain.
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21
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Buchner D, Beermann AJ, Leese F, Weiss M. Cooking small and large portions of “biodiversity‐soup”: Miniaturized DNA metabarcoding PCRs perform as good as large‐volume PCRs. Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Buchner
- Aquatic Ecosystem Research University of Duisburg‐Essen Essen Germany
| | - Arne J. Beermann
- Aquatic Ecosystem Research University of Duisburg‐Essen Essen Germany
- Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU) University of Duisburg‐Essen Essen Germany
| | - Florian Leese
- Aquatic Ecosystem Research University of Duisburg‐Essen Essen Germany
- Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU) University of Duisburg‐Essen Essen Germany
| | - Martina Weiss
- Aquatic Ecosystem Research University of Duisburg‐Essen Essen Germany
- Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU) University of Duisburg‐Essen Essen Germany
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22
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Integration of DNA-Based Approaches in Aquatic Ecological Assessment Using Benthic Macroinvertebrates. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13030331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Benthic macroinvertebrates are among the most used biological quality elements for assessing the condition of all types of aquatic ecosystems worldwide (i.e., fresh water, transitional, and marine). Current morphology-based assessments have several limitations that may be circumvented by using DNA-based approaches. Here, we present a comprehensive review of 90 publications on the use of DNA metabarcoding of benthic macroinvertebrates in aquatic ecosystems bioassessments. Metabarcoding of bulk macrozoobenthos has been preferentially used in fresh waters, whereas in marine waters, environmental DNA (eDNA) from sediment and bulk communities from deployed artificial structures has been favored. DNA extraction has been done predominantly through commercial kits, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) has been, by far, the most used marker, occasionally combined with others, namely, the 18S rRNA gene. Current limitations include the lack of standardized protocols and broad-coverage primers, the incompleteness of reference libraries, and the inability to reliably extrapolate abundance data. In addition, morphology versus DNA benchmarking of ecological status and biotic indexes are required to allow general worldwide implementation and higher end-user confidence. The increased sensitivity, high throughput, and faster execution of DNA metabarcoding can provide much higher spatial and temporal data resolution on aquatic ecological status, thereby being more responsive to immediate management needs.
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23
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Aylagas E, Borja A, Pochon X, Zaiko A, Keeley N, Bruce K, Hong P, Ruiz GM, Stein ED, Theroux S, Geraldi N, Ortega A, Gajdzik L, Coker DJ, Katan Y, Hikmawan T, Saleem A, Alamer S, Jones BH, Duarte CM, Pearman J, Carvalho S. Translational Molecular Ecology in practice: Linking DNA-based methods to actionable marine environmental management. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 744:140780. [PMID: 32693276 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Molecular-based approaches can provide timely biodiversity assessments, showing an immense potential to facilitate decision-making in marine environmental management. However, the uptake of molecular data into environmental policy remains minimal. Here, we showcase a selection of local to global scale studies applying molecular-based methodologies for environmental management at various stages of implementation. Drawing upon lessons learned from these case-studies, we provide a roadmap to facilitate applications of DNA-based methods to marine policies and to overcome the existing challenges. The main impediment identified is the need for standardized protocols to guarantee data comparison across spatial and temporal scales. Adoption of Translational Molecular Ecology - the sustained collaboration between molecular ecologists and stakeholders, will enhance consensus with regards to the objectives, methods, and outcomes of environmental management projects. Establishing a sustained dialogue among stakeholders is key to accelerating the adoption of molecular-based approaches for marine monitoring and assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Aylagas
- Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Angel Borja
- AZTI, Marine Research, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Herrera Kaia, Portualdea s/n, 20110 Pasaia, Spain
| | - Xavier Pochon
- Coastal and Freshwater Group, Cawthron Institute, Private Bag 2, Nelson 7042, New Zealand; Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Private Bag 349, Warkworth 0941, New Zealand
| | - Anastasija Zaiko
- Coastal and Freshwater Group, Cawthron Institute, Private Bag 2, Nelson 7042, New Zealand; Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Private Bag 349, Warkworth 0941, New Zealand
| | - Nigel Keeley
- Benthic Resources and Processors Group, Institute of Marine Research, Postboks 6606 Langnes, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Kat Bruce
- Nature Metrics Ltd, CABI site, Bakeham Lane, Egham TW20 9TY, United Kingdom
| | - Peiying Hong
- Water Desalination and Reuse Center, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Gregory M Ruiz
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, 647 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, MD 21037, USA; Aquatic Bioinvasion Research and Policy Institute, Environmental Science and Management, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
| | - Eric D Stein
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, 3535 Harbor Blvd., Suite 110, Costa Mesa, CA 92626-1437, USA
| | - Susanna Theroux
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, 3535 Harbor Blvd., Suite 110, Costa Mesa, CA 92626-1437, USA
| | - Nathan Geraldi
- Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Alejandra Ortega
- Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Laura Gajdzik
- Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Darren J Coker
- Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yasser Katan
- Environmental Protection Department, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran 3131, Saudi Arabia
| | - Tyas Hikmawan
- Environmental Protection Department, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran 3131, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ammar Saleem
- The General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection, The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sultan Alamer
- The General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection, The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Saudi Arabia
| | - Burton H Jones
- Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Carlos M Duarte
- Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - John Pearman
- Coastal and Freshwater Group, Cawthron Institute, Private Bag 2, Nelson 7042, New Zealand
| | - Susana Carvalho
- Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
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24
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Martins FMS, Porto M, Feio MJ, Egeter B, Bonin A, Serra SRQ, Taberlet P, Beja P. Modelling technical and biological biases in macroinvertebrate community assessment from bulk preservative using multiple metabarcoding markers. Mol Ecol 2020; 30:3221-3238. [PMID: 32860303 PMCID: PMC8359330 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
DNA metabarcoding from the ethanol used to store macroinvertebrate bulk samples is a convenient methodological option in molecular biodiversity assessment and biomonitoring of aquatic ecosystems, as it preserves specimens and reduces problems associated with sample sorting. However, this method may be affected by errors and biases, which need to be thoroughly quantified before it can be mainstreamed into biomonitoring programmes. Here, we used 80 unsorted macroinvertebrate samples collected in Portugal under a Water Framework Directive monitoring programme, to compare community diversity and taxonomic composition metrics estimated through morphotaxonomy versus metabarcoding from storage ethanol using three markers (COI‐M19BR2, 16S‐Inse01 and 18S‐Euka02) and a multimarker approach. A preliminary in silico analysis showed that the three markers were adequate for the target taxa, with detection failures related primarily to the lack of adequate barcodes in public databases. Metabarcoding of ethanol samples retrieved far less taxa per site (alpha diversity) than morphotaxonomy, albeit with smaller differences for COI‐M19BR2 and the multimarker approach, while estimates of taxa turnover (beta diversity) among sites were similar across methods. Using generalized linear mixed models, we found that after controlling for differences in read coverage across samples, the probability of detection of a taxon was positively related to its proportional abundance, and negatively so to the presence of heavily sclerotized exoskeleton (e.g., Coleoptera). Overall, using our experimental protocol with different template dilutions, the COI marker showed the best performance, but we recommend the use of a multimarker approach to detect a wider range of taxa in freshwater macroinvertebrate samples. Further methodological development and optimization efforts are needed to reduce biases associated with body armouring and rarity in some macroinvertebrate taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filipa M S Martins
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,CIBIO/InBio, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vila do Conde, Portugal
| | - Miguel Porto
- CIBIO/InBio, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vila do Conde, Portugal.,CIBIO/InBio, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Maria J Feio
- Departamento de Ciência da Vida, Centro de Ciências do Mar e do Ambiente, MARE, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Bastian Egeter
- CIBIO/InBio, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vila do Conde, Portugal
| | - Aurélie Bonin
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine (LECA), CNRS, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Sónia R Q Serra
- Departamento de Ciência da Vida, Centro de Ciências do Mar e do Ambiente, MARE, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Pierre Taberlet
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine (LECA), CNRS, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France.,Tromsø Museum, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Pedro Beja
- CIBIO/InBio, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vila do Conde, Portugal.,CIBIO/InBio, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
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25
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Suter L, Polanowski AM, Clarke LJ, Kitchener JA, Deagle BE. Capturing open ocean biodiversity: Comparing environmental DNA metabarcoding to the continuous plankton recorder. Mol Ecol 2020; 30:3140-3157. [PMID: 32767849 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Revised: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is emerging as a novel, objective tool for monitoring marine metazoan biodiversity. Zooplankton biodiversity in the vast open ocean is currently monitored through continuous plankton recorder (CPR) surveys, using ship-based bulk plankton sampling and morphological identification. We assessed whether eDNA metabarcoding (2 L filtered seawater) could capture similar Southern Ocean zooplankton biodiversity as conventional CPR bulk sampling (~1,500 L filtered seawater per CPR sample). We directly compared eDNA metabarcoding with (a) conventional morphological CPR sampling and (b) bulk DNA metabarcoding of CPR collected plankton (two transects for each comparison, 40 and 44 paired samples, respectively). A metazoan-targeted cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) marker was used to characterize species-level diversity. In the 2 L seawater eDNA samples, this marker amplified large amounts of non-metazoan picoplanktonic algae, but eDNA metabarcoding still detected up to 1.6 times more zooplankton species than morphologically analysed bulk CPR samples. COI metabarcoding of bulk DNA samples mostly avoided nonmetazoan amplifications and recovered more zooplankton species than eDNA metabarcoding. However, eDNA metabarcoding detected roughly two thirds of metazoan species and identified similar taxa contributing to community differentiation across the subtropical front separating transects. We observed a diurnal pattern in eDNA data for copepods which perform diel vertical migrations, indicating a surprisingly short temporal eDNA signal. Compared to COI, a eukaryote-targeted 18S ribosomal RNA marker detected a higher proportion, but lower diversity, of metazoans in eDNA. With refinement and standardization of methodology, eDNA metabarcoding could become an efficient tool for monitoring open ocean biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonie Suter
- Australian Antarctic Division, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Kingston, Tas., Australia
| | - Andrea Maree Polanowski
- Australian Antarctic Division, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Kingston, Tas., Australia
| | - Laurence John Clarke
- Australian Antarctic Division, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Kingston, Tas., Australia.,Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tas., Australia
| | - John Andrew Kitchener
- Australian Antarctic Division, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Kingston, Tas., Australia
| | - Bruce Emerson Deagle
- Australian Antarctic Division, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Kingston, Tas., Australia.,Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Battery Point, Tas., Australia
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26
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Altermatt F, Little CJ, Mächler E, Wang S, Zhang X, Blackman RC. Uncovering the complete biodiversity structure in spatial networks: the example of riverine systems. OIKOS 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.06806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Florian Altermatt
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Inst. of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dept of Aquatic Ecology Überlandstrasse 133 CH‐8600 Dübendorf Switzerland
- Dept of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Univ. of Zurich Winterthurerstr. 190 CH‐8057 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Chelsea J. Little
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Inst. of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dept of Aquatic Ecology Überlandstrasse 133 CH‐8600 Dübendorf Switzerland
- Dept of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Univ. of Zurich Winterthurerstr. 190 CH‐8057 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Elvira Mächler
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Inst. of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dept of Aquatic Ecology Überlandstrasse 133 CH‐8600 Dübendorf Switzerland
- Dept of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Univ. of Zurich Winterthurerstr. 190 CH‐8057 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Inst. of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking Univ. Beijing PR China
| | - Xiaowei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing Univ. Nanjing PR China
| | - Rosetta C. Blackman
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Inst. of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dept of Aquatic Ecology Überlandstrasse 133 CH‐8600 Dübendorf Switzerland
- Dept of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Univ. of Zurich Winterthurerstr. 190 CH‐8057 Zürich Switzerland
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27
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Xiong W, Huang X, Chen Y, Fu R, Du X, Chen X, Zhan A. Zooplankton biodiversity monitoring in polluted freshwater ecosystems: A technical review. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ECOTECHNOLOGY 2019; 1:100008. [PMCID: PMC9488063 DOI: 10.1016/j.ese.2019.100008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Freshwater ecosystems harbor a vast diversity of micro-eukaryotes (rotifers, crustaceans and protists), and such diverse taxonomic groups play important roles in ecosystem functioning and services. Unfortunately, freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity therein are threatened by many environmental stressors, particularly those derived from intensive human activities such as chemical pollution. In the past several decades, significant efforts have been devoted to halting biodiversity loss to recover services and functioning of freshwater ecosystems. Biodiversity monitoring is the first and a crucial step towards diagnosing pollution impacts on ecosystems and making conservation plans. Yet, bio-monitoring of ubiquitous micro-eukaryotes is extremely challenging, owing to many technical issues associated with micro-zooplankton such as microscopic size, fuzzy morphological features, and extremely high biodiversity. Here, we review current methods used for monitoring zooplankton biodiversity to advance management of impaired freshwater ecosystems. We discuss the development of traditional morphology-based identification methods such as scanning electron microscope (SEM) and ZOOSCAN and FlowCAM automatic systems, and DNA-based strategies such as metabarcoding and real-time quantitative PCR. In addition, we summarize advantages and disadvantages of these methods when applied for monitoring impacted ecosystems, and we propose practical DNA-based monitoring workflows for studying biological consequences of environmental pollution in freshwater ecosystems. Finally, we propose possible solutions for existing technical issues to improve accuracy and efficiency of DNA-based biodiversity monitoring. Freshwater ecosystems and associated biodiversity have been highly degraded. Biodiversity monitoring is crucial for diagnosing degradation degrees. Here we review available methods for monitoring zooplankton biodiversity. We propose possible solutions for existing technical issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Xiong
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Xuena Huang
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Yiyong Chen
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Ruiying Fu
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Xun Du
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Xingyu Chen
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China
- College of Resources, Environment and Tourism, Capital Normal University, 105 West Third Ring Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Aibin Zhan
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, China
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