Quantification of eDNA to Map the Distribution of Cold-Water Coral Reefs
An effective management of vulnerable marine ecosystems is dependent on thorough knowledge of their location. Multibeam bathymetric mapping and targeted remotely operated vehicle (ROV) surveys are currently used to map areas impacted by industrial activities when vulnerable species are expected. How...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:08ffb2f29ab544389795223b6ba87706 2023-05-15T17:08:38+02:00 Quantification of eDNA to Map the Distribution of Cold-Water Coral Reefs Tina Kutti Ingrid Askeland Johnsen Katrine Sandnes Skaar Jessica Louise Ray Vivian Husa Thomas G. Dahlgren 2020-06-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00446 https://doaj.org/article/08ffb2f29ab544389795223b6ba87706 EN eng Frontiers Media S.A. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2020.00446/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-7745 2296-7745 doi:10.3389/fmars.2020.00446 https://doaj.org/article/08ffb2f29ab544389795223b6ba87706 Frontiers in Marine Science, Vol 7 (2020) Lophelia pertusa Desmophyllum pertusum ddPCR deep-sea habitat mapping vulnerable marine ecosystems Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 article 2020 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00446 2022-12-31T01:06:58Z An effective management of vulnerable marine ecosystems is dependent on thorough knowledge of their location. Multibeam bathymetric mapping and targeted remotely operated vehicle (ROV) surveys are currently used to map areas impacted by industrial activities when vulnerable species are expected. However, multibeam bathymetric mapping is not always a possibility and surveying large areas using ROVs is expensive. Here, we developed a species-specific eDNA assay targeting a 178 bp fragment in the control region of the mitochondrial DNA of the cold-water coral (CWC) Lophelia pertusa. The aim was to test if concentrations of L. pertusa eDNA in seawater, determined using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) technology, could be used to assess the broad scale distribution of CWCs in a region, to supplement multibeam mapping and direct targeted ROV surveys. Our assay successfully amplified L. pertusa DNA from seawater. In laboratory we documented an exponential decay rate of the targeted DNA fragment and a linear correlation between coral biomass and eDNA concentrations in flow through microcosms. The ability of the method to detect CWC reefs in situ was tested in the fjords south of Bergen, Norway, where such reefs are common. We tested five sites with, and five sites without, known reefs. Lophelia pertusa eDNA was detected in all 10 sites. However, concentrations were elevated by 5 to 10 times in water sampled off the two large reefs growing on vertical surfaces. Water sampled 10 m above CWC reefs growing on the flat seabed did not produce an equally clear eDNA signal, nor did single CWC colonies growing on vertical surfaces. Treating the eDNA as a passive particle with no active vertical or horizontal movement, we successfully modeled the dispersal of eDNA from the known CWC reefs in the region and achieved a good fit with measured eDNA concentrations. In all, our study demonstrated a great potential for eDNA measurements as a cost-efficient tool for a rapid screening of the broad scale distribution of CWC reefs growing on ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Lophelia pertusa Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Bergen Norway Frontiers in Marine Science 7 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Lophelia pertusa Desmophyllum pertusum ddPCR deep-sea habitat mapping vulnerable marine ecosystems Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 |
spellingShingle |
Lophelia pertusa Desmophyllum pertusum ddPCR deep-sea habitat mapping vulnerable marine ecosystems Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 Tina Kutti Ingrid Askeland Johnsen Katrine Sandnes Skaar Jessica Louise Ray Vivian Husa Thomas G. Dahlgren Quantification of eDNA to Map the Distribution of Cold-Water Coral Reefs |
topic_facet |
Lophelia pertusa Desmophyllum pertusum ddPCR deep-sea habitat mapping vulnerable marine ecosystems Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 |
description |
An effective management of vulnerable marine ecosystems is dependent on thorough knowledge of their location. Multibeam bathymetric mapping and targeted remotely operated vehicle (ROV) surveys are currently used to map areas impacted by industrial activities when vulnerable species are expected. However, multibeam bathymetric mapping is not always a possibility and surveying large areas using ROVs is expensive. Here, we developed a species-specific eDNA assay targeting a 178 bp fragment in the control region of the mitochondrial DNA of the cold-water coral (CWC) Lophelia pertusa. The aim was to test if concentrations of L. pertusa eDNA in seawater, determined using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) technology, could be used to assess the broad scale distribution of CWCs in a region, to supplement multibeam mapping and direct targeted ROV surveys. Our assay successfully amplified L. pertusa DNA from seawater. In laboratory we documented an exponential decay rate of the targeted DNA fragment and a linear correlation between coral biomass and eDNA concentrations in flow through microcosms. The ability of the method to detect CWC reefs in situ was tested in the fjords south of Bergen, Norway, where such reefs are common. We tested five sites with, and five sites without, known reefs. Lophelia pertusa eDNA was detected in all 10 sites. However, concentrations were elevated by 5 to 10 times in water sampled off the two large reefs growing on vertical surfaces. Water sampled 10 m above CWC reefs growing on the flat seabed did not produce an equally clear eDNA signal, nor did single CWC colonies growing on vertical surfaces. Treating the eDNA as a passive particle with no active vertical or horizontal movement, we successfully modeled the dispersal of eDNA from the known CWC reefs in the region and achieved a good fit with measured eDNA concentrations. In all, our study demonstrated a great potential for eDNA measurements as a cost-efficient tool for a rapid screening of the broad scale distribution of CWC reefs growing on ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Tina Kutti Ingrid Askeland Johnsen Katrine Sandnes Skaar Jessica Louise Ray Vivian Husa Thomas G. Dahlgren |
author_facet |
Tina Kutti Ingrid Askeland Johnsen Katrine Sandnes Skaar Jessica Louise Ray Vivian Husa Thomas G. Dahlgren |
author_sort |
Tina Kutti |
title |
Quantification of eDNA to Map the Distribution of Cold-Water Coral Reefs |
title_short |
Quantification of eDNA to Map the Distribution of Cold-Water Coral Reefs |
title_full |
Quantification of eDNA to Map the Distribution of Cold-Water Coral Reefs |
title_fullStr |
Quantification of eDNA to Map the Distribution of Cold-Water Coral Reefs |
title_full_unstemmed |
Quantification of eDNA to Map the Distribution of Cold-Water Coral Reefs |
title_sort |
quantification of edna to map the distribution of cold-water coral reefs |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00446 https://doaj.org/article/08ffb2f29ab544389795223b6ba87706 |
geographic |
Bergen Norway |
geographic_facet |
Bergen Norway |
genre |
Lophelia pertusa |
genre_facet |
Lophelia pertusa |
op_source |
Frontiers in Marine Science, Vol 7 (2020) |
op_relation |
https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2020.00446/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-7745 2296-7745 doi:10.3389/fmars.2020.00446 https://doaj.org/article/08ffb2f29ab544389795223b6ba87706 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00446 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Marine Science |
container_volume |
7 |
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1766064438314532864 |