Multi-marker DNA metabarcoding detects suites of environmental gradients from an urban harbour

• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-13262-6
• Publication Date: 2022-06-22T12:03:01Z
• Authors: Chloe V. Robinson; Teresita M. Porter; Katie M. McGee; Megan McCusker; Michael T. G. Wright; Mehrdad Hajibabaei
• Keywords: Environmental DNA; Taxonomic rank; DNA Barcoding; Operational taxonomic unit; Sequence (biology)

There is increasing need for biodiversity monitoring, especially in places where potential anthropogenic disturbance may significantly impact ecosystem health. We employed a combination of traditional morphological and bulk macroinvertebrate metabarcoding analyses to benthic samples collected from Toronto Harbour (Ontario, Canada) compare taxonomic functional diversity macroinvertebrates their responses environmental gradients. At the species rank, sites assessed using COI showed more variation than methods. Depending on assessment method, we detected gradients magnesium (morphological taxa), ammonia taxa, sequence variants), pH (18S variants) as well contaminants such metals (COI & 18S organochlorines variants). Observed aromatic hydrocarbons align with known patchy distributions harbour sediments. determined that approach limit detection lake conditions due effort needed obtain fine level assignments necessary investigate responses. DNA metabarcoding, however, not be limited macroinvertebrates, can automated, are associated certain accuracy variants named groups. The capacity detect change scalable critical addressing challenges monitoring ecological investigations.