eDNA metabarcoding enriches traditional trawl survey data for monitoring biodiversity in the marine environment

eDNA metabarcoding enriches traditional trawl survey data for monitoring biodiversity in the marine environment Marine Protected Areas require comprehensive monitoring to ensure objectives are achieved; however, monitoring natural ecosystems at scale is challenged by the biodiversity it aims to measure. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding holds promise to address this monitoring challenge. We conducted paired sampling at 54 sites for fish and invertebrate assemblages in the Northwest Atlantic using groundfish trawls and eDNA metabarcoding of benthic seawater using four genetic markers (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, 18S rRNA, and CO1). Compared to trawling, eDNA detected similar patterns of species turnover, larger estimates of gamma diversity, and smaller estimates of alpha diversity. A total of 63.6% (42/66) of fish species captured by trawling were detected by eDNA, along with an additional 26 species. Of the 24 missed detections by eDNA, 12 were inevitable as they lacked reference sequences. Excluding taxa assigned to higher than species level and those without a species name, 23.6% (17/72) of invertebrate species captured by trawling were detected by CO1, which detected an additional 98 species. We demonstrate that eDNA is capable of detecting patterns of community assemblage and species turnover in an offshore environment, emphasizing its strong potential for a non-invasive, comprehensive, and scalable tool for biodiversity monitoring supporting marine conservation programmes. Cite this data as: Jeffery, N., Rubidge, E., Abbott, C., Westfall, K., Stanley, R. (2024): Data of: eDNA metabarcoding enriches traditional trawl survey data for monitoring biodiversity in the marine environment. Published: August 2024. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/43a91ba7-8025-4330-88db-db14022d729d 2024-08-13 Fisheries and Oceans Canada Nick.Jeffery@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Nature and EnvironmentScience and TechnologyeDNAOceans eDNA metabarcoding enriches traditional trawl survey data for monitoring biodiversity in the marine environmentFGDB/GDB https://api-proxy.edh.azure.cloud.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/catalogue/records/43a91ba7-8025-4330-88db-db14022d729d/attachments/eDNA_Metabarcoding.gdb.zip Data DictionaryCSV https://api-proxy.edh.azure.cloud.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/catalogue/records/43a91ba7-8025-4330-88db-db14022d729d/attachments/EDNA_MetabarcodingDataDictionaryEnFr.csv eDNA metabarcoding enriches traditional trawl survey data for monitoring biodiversity in the marine environmentCSV https://api-proxy.edh.azure.cloud.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/catalogue/records/43a91ba7-8025-4330-88db-db14022d729d/attachments/eDNA_MetabarcodingCSVfiles.zip eDNA metabarcoding enriches traditional trawl survey data for monitoring biodiversity in the marine environmentESRI REST https://egisp.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/arcgis/rest/services/open_data_donnees_ouvertes/edna_metabarcoding/MapServer eDNA metabarcoding enriches traditional trawl survey data for monitoring biodiversity in the marine environmentESRI REST http://Le métacodage à barres de l’ADNe enrichit les données des relevés au chalut traditionnels pour le suivi de la biodiversité dans l’environnement marin eDNA metabarcoding enriches traditional trawl survey data for monitoring biodiversity in the marine environmentHTML https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsad083 Biodiversity surveys in coastal and offshore marine environmentsHTML https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bioproject/?term=PRJNA740347

Marine Protected Areas require comprehensive monitoring to ensure objectives are achieved; however, monitoring natural ecosystems at scale is challenged by the biodiversity it aims to measure. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding holds promise to address this monitoring challenge. We conducted paired sampling at 54 sites for fish and invertebrate assemblages in the Northwest Atlantic using groundfish trawls and eDNA metabarcoding of benthic seawater using four genetic markers (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, 18S rRNA, and CO1). Compared to trawling, eDNA detected similar patterns of species turnover, larger estimates of gamma diversity, and smaller estimates of alpha diversity. A total of 63.6% (42/66) of fish species captured by trawling were detected by eDNA, along with an additional 26 species. Of the 24 missed detections by eDNA, 12 were inevitable as they lacked reference sequences. Excluding taxa assigned to higher than species level and those without a species name, 23.6% (17/72) of invertebrate species captured by trawling were detected by CO1, which detected an additional 98 species. We demonstrate that eDNA is capable of detecting patterns of community assemblage and species turnover in an offshore environment, emphasizing its strong potential for a non-invasive, comprehensive, and scalable tool for biodiversity monitoring supporting marine conservation programmes.

Cite this data as: Jeffery, N., Rubidge, E., Abbott, C., Westfall, K., Stanley, R. (2024): Data of: eDNA metabarcoding enriches traditional trawl survey data for monitoring biodiversity in the marine environment.

Published: August 2024. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/43a91ba7-8025-4330-88db-db14022d729d

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Delivery Point: Bedford Institute of Oceanography, 1 Challenger Drive, PO Box 1006

City: Dartmouth

Administrative Area: Nova Scotia

Postal Code: B2Y 4A2

Country: Canada

Electronic Mail Address: Nick.Jeffery@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

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