1
|
Abraham JS, Somasundaram S, Maurya S, Sood U, Lal R, Toteja R, Makhija S. Insights into freshwater ciliate diversity through high throughput DNA metabarcoding. FEMS MICROBES 2024; 5:xtae003. [PMID: 38450097 PMCID: PMC10917447 DOI: 10.1093/femsmc/xtae003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The freshwater bodies of India are highly biodiverse but still understudied, especially concerning ciliates. Ciliates constitute a significant portion of eukaryotic diversity and play crucial roles in microbial loops, nutrient recycling, and ecosystem maintenance. The present study aimed to elucidate ciliate diversity in three freshwater sites in the Delhi region of India: Okhla Bird Sanctuary (OBS), Sanjay Lake (SL), and Raj Ghat pond (RJ). This study represents the first investigation into the taxonomic diversity and richness of freshwater ciliates in India using a high-throughput DNA metabarcoding approach. For the analysis, total environmental DNA was extracted from the three freshwater samples, followed by sequencing of the 18S V4 barcode region and subsequent phylogenetic analyses. Operational taxonomic units (OTU) analyses revealed maximum species diversity in OBS (106), followed by SL (104) and RJ (99) sites. Ciliates from the classes Oligohymenophorea, Prostomatea, and Spirotrichea were dominant in the three sites. The study discusses the ability of the metabarcoding approach to uncover unknown and rare species. The study highlights the need for refined reference databases and cautious interpretation of the high-throughput sequencing-generated data while emphasizing the complementary nature of molecular and morphological approaches in studying ciliate diversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeeva Susan Abraham
- Ciliate Biology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, Govindpuri, Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019, India
| | - Sripoorna Somasundaram
- Ciliate Biology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, Govindpuri, Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019, India
| | - Swati Maurya
- Ciliate Biology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, Govindpuri, Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019, India
| | - Utkarsh Sood
- Department of Zoology, Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India
| | - Rup Lal
- Ciliate Biology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, Govindpuri, Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019, India
| | - Ravi Toteja
- Ciliate Biology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, Govindpuri, Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019, India
| | - Seema Makhija
- Ciliate Biology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, Govindpuri, Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019, India
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zarcero J, Antich A, Rius M, Wangensteen OS, Turon X. A new sampling device for metabarcoding surveillance of port communities and detection of non-indigenous species. iScience 2024; 27:108588. [PMID: 38111684 PMCID: PMC10726295 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Metabarcoding techniques are revolutionizing studies of marine biodiversity. They can be used for monitoring non-indigenous species (NIS) in ports and harbors. However, they are often biased by inconsistent sampling methods and incomplete reference databases. Logistic constraints in ports prompt the development of simple, easy-to-deploy samplers. We tested a new device called polyamide mesh for ports organismal monitoring (POMPOM) with a high surface-to-volume ratio. POMPOMS were deployed inside a fishing and recreational port in the Mediterranean alongside conventional settlement plates. We also compiled a curated database with cytochrome oxidase (COI) sequences of Mediterranean NIS. COI metabarcoding of the communities settled in the POMPOMs captured a similar biodiversity than settlement plates, with shared molecular operational units (MOTUs) representing ca. 99% of reads. 38 NIS were detected in the port accounting for ca. 26% of reads. POMPOMs were easy to deploy and handle and provide an efficient method for NIS surveillance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Zarcero
- Department of Marine Ecology, Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB), CSIC, 17300 Blanes, Catalonia, Spain
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences and Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio), University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Adrià Antich
- Department of Marine Ecology, Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB), CSIC, 17300 Blanes, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Marc Rius
- Department of Marine Ecology, Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB), CSIC, 17300 Blanes, Catalonia, Spain
- Department of Zoology, Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park Johannesburg 2006, South Africa
| | - Owen S. Wangensteen
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences and Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio), University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Xavier Turon
- Department of Marine Ecology, Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB), CSIC, 17300 Blanes, Catalonia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Damaso N, Elwick KE, Robertson JM. Guidelines for the Analysis of DNA Barcoding/Metabarcoding Sequencing Data and Interpretation of Publicly Available Databases. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2744:391-402. [PMID: 38683333 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3581-0_25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
This chapter describes procedures for the use of DNA sequence data to obtain and compare taxonomic identification using the public databases GenBank and Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD). The chapter begins by describing procedures used to prepare quality sequences for uploading into GenBank and BOLD. Next, steps used to query the DNA sequences against the public databases are described using GenBank BLAST and BOLD identification engines. Interpretation guidelines for the taxonomic identification assignments are presented. Finally, a procedure for evaluating the accuracy and reliability of sequences from GenBank and BOLD is provided.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Damaso
- Counter WMD Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, MA, USA
| | - Kyleen E Elwick
- Research & Support Unit, Laboratory Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Quantico, VA, USA
| | - James M Robertson
- Research & Support Unit, Laboratory Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Quantico, VA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Noll NW, Scherber C, Schäffler L. taxalogue: a toolkit to create comprehensive CO1 reference databases. PeerJ 2023; 11:e16253. [PMID: 38077427 PMCID: PMC10702336 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Taxonomic identification through DNA barcodes gained considerable traction through the invention of next-generation sequencing and DNA metabarcoding. Metabarcoding allows for the simultaneous identification of thousands of organisms from bulk samples with high taxonomic resolution. However, reliable identifications can only be achieved with comprehensive and curated reference databases. Therefore, custom reference databases are often created to meet the needs of specific research questions. Due to taxonomic inconsistencies, formatting issues, and technical difficulties, building a custom reference database requires tremendous effort. Here, we present taxalogue, an easy-to-use software for creating comprehensive and customized reference databases that provide clean and taxonomically harmonized records. In combination with extensive geographical filtering options, taxalogue opens up new possibilities for generating and testing evolutionary hypotheses. Methods taxalogue collects DNA sequences from several online sources and combines them into a reference database. Taxonomic incongruencies between the different data sources can be harmonized according to available taxonomies. Dereplication and various filtering options are available regarding sequence quality or metadata information. taxalogue is implemented in the open-source Ruby programming language, and the source code is available at https://github.com/nwnoll/taxalogue. We benchmark four reference databases by sequence identity against eight queries from different localities and trapping devices. Subsamples from each reference database were used to compare how well another one is covered. Results taxalogue produces reference databases with the best coverage at high identities for most tested queries, enabling more accurate, reliable predictions with higher certainty than the other benchmarked reference databases. Additionally, the performance of taxalogue is more consistent while providing good coverage for a variety of habitats, regions, and sampling methods. taxalogue simplifies the creation of reference databases and makes the process reproducible and transparent. Multiple available output formats for commonly used downstream applications facilitate the easy adoption of taxalogue in many different software pipelines. The resulting reference databases improve the taxonomic classification accuracy through high coverage of the query sequences at high identities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Niklas W. Noll
- Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
| | - Christoph Scherber
- Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
| | - Livia Schäffler
- Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Couton M, Hürlemann S, Studer A, Alther R, Altermatt F. Groundwater environmental DNA metabarcoding reveals hidden diversity and reflects land-use and geology. Mol Ecol 2023. [PMID: 37067032 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
Despite being the most important source of liquid freshwater on the planet, groundwater is severely threatened by climate change, agriculture, or industrial mining. It is thus extensively monitored for pollutants and declines in quantity. The organisms living in groundwater, however, are rarely the target of surveillance programmes and little is known about the fauna inhabiting underground habitats. The difficulties accessing groundwater, the lack of expertise, and the apparent scarcity of these organisms challenge sampling and prohibit adequate knowledge on groundwater fauna. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding provides an approach to overcome these limitations but is largely unexplored. Here, we sampled water in 20 communal spring catchment boxes used for drinking water provisioning in Switzerland, with a high level of replication at both filtration and amplification steps. We sequenced a portion of the COI mitochondrial gene, which resulted in 4917 ASVs, yet only 3% of the reads could be assigned to a species, genus, or family with more than 90% identity. Careful evaluation of the unassigned reads corroborated that these sequences were true COI sequences belonging mostly to diverse eukaryotic groups, not present in the reference databases. Principal component analyses showed a strong correlation of the community composition with the surface land-use (agriculture vs. forest) and geology (fissured rock vs. unconsolidated sediment). While incomplete reference databases limit the assignment of taxa in groundwater eDNA metabarcoding, we showed that taxonomy-free approaches can reveal large hidden diversity and couple it with major land-use drivers, revealing their imprint on chemical and biological properties of groundwater.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie Couton
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Samuel Hürlemann
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Angela Studer
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Roman Alther
- 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
| | - 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
| |
Collapse
|