Detecting Antarctic and New Zealand vertebrates using environmental DNA (eDNA).
Isolated environments can lead to unique biodiversity; however, endemic taxa are often evolutionarily vulnerable to disturbance. While considered very different, both Antarctica and New Zealand face this challenge. To protect these ecosystems, we must first monitor them to assess whether a change fa...
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| Format: | Other/Unknown Material |
| Language: | English |
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University of Canterbury
2021
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10092/101828 https://doi.org/10.26021/10882 |
| Summary: | Isolated environments can lead to unique biodiversity; however, endemic taxa are often evolutionarily vulnerable to disturbance. While considered very different, both Antarctica and New Zealand face this challenge. To protect these ecosystems, we must first monitor them to assess whether a change falls within the average flux or is the consequence of disturbance. Monitoring programs should utilise various tools to account for biases and ensure that data accurately represents the ecosystem. The development and integration of new technology for monitoring species can improve the resolution of datasets. One method that is increasingly investigated for ecosystem surveillance is Environmental DNA (eDNA). I suggest eDNA is utilised to monitor both Antarctica and New Zealand's endemic fauna. To assess current Antarctic applications, I reviewed the literature on eDNA. While microbiologists have applied eDNA methods extensively, few papers targeted Antarctic vertebrates. I highlight recent developments in population genetics and portable sequencing technologies and discuss how these methods could apply to Antarctic research. As technology and methods develop, so too will the potential for non-invasive monitoring of polar fauna. I identified Orcas (Orcinus orca) and Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) as potential target species for future population genetic trials in Antarctica. Thus, my second study investigated Antarctic snow samples as a source of Weddell seal DNA. The snow was collected from a single seal imprint at the Turtle Rock breeding colony in McMurdo Sound. I successfully extracted, amplified and sequenced Weddell seal DNA in seven out of thirty-three snow samples. Though my detection rate was low, to the best of my knowledge, this represents the first time Antarctic vertebrate DNA has been extracted from snow. While all seven sequences fall within the Weddell seal clade on my Neighbour- Joining tree, the branch lengths suggest a high level of divergence, which could pose challenges for future population ... |
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