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A 3‐year plankton DNA metabarcoding survey reveals marine biodiversity patterns in Australian coastal waters
Berry, T.E.; Coghlan, M.L.; Saunders, B.J.; Richardson, A.J.; Power, M.; Harvey, E.; Jarman, S.; Berry, O.; Davies, C.H.; Bunce, M. (2023). A 3‐year plankton DNA metabarcoding survey reveals marine biodiversity patterns in Australian coastal waters. Diversity Distrib. 29(7): 862-878. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13699
In: Diversity and Distributions. Blackwell: Oxford. ISSN 1366-9516; e-ISSN 1472-4642, more
Peer reviewed article  
Available in  Authors 
Keywords
    Maoricolpus roseus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834) [WoRMS]; Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) [WoRMS]; Membranipora membranacea (Linnaeus, 1767) [WoRMS]
    Marine/Coastal
Authors  Top 
  • Berry, T.E.
  • Coghlan, M.L.
  • Saunders, B.J.
  • Richardson, A.J., more
  • Power, M.
  • Harvey, E.
  • Jarman, S.
  • Berry, O.
  • Davies, C.H.
  • Bunce, M.
Abstract
    Aim

    To use a long-term collection of bulk plankton samples to test the capacity of DNA metabarcoding to characterize the spatial and seasonal patterns found within a range of zooplankton communities, and investigate links with concurrent abiotic data collected as part of Australia's Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) programme.

    Location

    Samples were sourced seasonally for 3 years from nine Pan-Australian marine sites (n = 90).

    Methods

    Here, we apply a multi-assay metabarcoding approach to environmental DNA extracted from bulk plankton samples. Six assays (targeting 16SrRNA and COI genes) were used to target, amplify and sequence the zooplankton diversity found within each sample. The data generated from each assay were filtered and clustered into OTUs prior to analysis. Abiotic IMOS data collected contemporaneously enabled us to explore the physical and chemical drivers of community composition.

    Results

    From over 25 million sequences, we identified in excess of 500 distinct taxa and detected clear spatial differences. We found that site and sea surface temperature are the most consistent predictors of differences between zooplankton communities. We detected endangered and invasive species such as the bryozoan Membranipora membranacea and the mollusc Maoricolpus roseus, and seasonal occurrences of species such as humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). We also estimated the number of samples required to detect any significant seasonal changes. For OTU richness, this was found to be assay dependent and for OTU assemblage, a minimum of nine samples per season would be required.

    Main Conclusion

    Our results demonstrate the ability of DNA to capture and map zooplankton community changes in response to seasonal and spatial stressors and provide vital evidence to environmental stakeholders. We confirm that a metabarcoding method offers a practical opportunity for an ecosystem-wide approach to long-term biomonitoring and understanding marine biomes where morphological analysis is not feasible.

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