基于环境DNA宏条形码技术的辽东湾典型围海养殖池塘内水母多样性研究

研究使用环境DNA宏条形码技术(eDNA metabarcoding)检测辽东湾东北部河口区围海养殖池塘水母种类多样性,探索适用于水母种类物种鉴定和监测的新方法。利用环境DNA宏条形码技术,分别基于18S rDNA和COI宏条形码检测了辽东湾东北部河口区围海养殖池塘水母种类多样性,通过水样采集、过滤、eDNA提取、遗传标记扩增、测序与生物信息分析的环境DNA宏条形码标准化分析流程,从围海养殖池塘7个采样点中获得可检测的采样点数据。结果显示,基于18S rDNA宏条形码检测出8种水母种类,其中钵水母纲大型水母2种、水螅水母总纲小型水母6种;基于COI宏条形码技术共检测出19种水母种类,其中钵水母纲大型水母5种、水螅水母总纲小型水母14种;两种DNA条形码标记都显示养殖种类海蜇(Rhopilema esculentum)为优势种。研究结果表明,环境DNA宏条形码技术作为一种新兴的生物多样性监测手段可用于快速检测水母种类多样性,在水母类物种鉴定、监测及早期预警中有较大的应用潜能。     

Environmental DNA metabarcoding primers for freshwater fish detection and quantification: In silico and in tanks

Environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques refer to utilizing the organisms’ DNA extracted from environment samples to genetically identify target species without capturing actual organisms. eDNA metabarcoding via high‐throughput sequencing can simultaneously detect multiple fish species from a single water sample, which is a powerful tool for the qualitative detection and quantitative estimates of multiple fish species. However, sequence counts obtained from eDNA metabarcoding may be influenced by many factors, of which primer bias is one of the foremost causes of methodological error. The performance of 18 primer pairs for COI, cytb, 12S rRNA, and 16S rRNA mitochondrial genes, which are all frequently used in fish eDNA metabarcoding, were evaluated in the current study. The ribosomal gene markers performed better than the protein‐coding gene markers during in silico screening, resulting in higher taxonomic coverage and appropriate barcode lengths. Four primer pairs—AcMDB07, MiFish‐U, Ve16S1, and Ve16S3—designed for various regions of the 12S and 16S rRNA genes were screened for tank metabarcoding in a case study targeting six freshwater fish species. The four primer pairs were able to accurately detect all six species in different tanks, while only MiFish‐U, Ve16S1, and Ve16S3 revealed a significant positive relationship between species biomass and read count for the pooled tank data. The positive relationship could not be found in all species within the tanks. Additionally, primer efficiency differed depending on the species while primer preferential species varied in different fish assemblages. This case study supports the potential for eDNA metabarcoding to assess species diversity in natural ecosystems and provides an alternative strategy to evaluate the performance of candidate primers before application of eDNA metabarcoding in natural ecosystems.     

Environmental DNA metabarcoding: Transforming how we survey animal and plant communities

The genomic revolution has fundamentally changed how we survey biodiversity on earth. High‐throughput sequencing (“HTS”) platforms now enable the rapid sequencing of DNA from diverse kinds of environmental samples (termed “environmental DNA” or “eDNA”). Coupling HTS with our ability to associate sequences from eDNA with a taxonomic name is called “eDNA metabarcoding” and offers a powerful molecular tool capable of noninvasively surveying species richness from many ecosystems. Here, we review the use of eDNA metabarcoding for surveying animal and plant richness, and the challenges in using eDNA approaches to estimate relative abundance. We highlight eDNA applications in freshwater, marine and terrestrial environments, and in this broad context, we distill what is known about the ability of different eDNA sample types to approximate richness in space and across time. We provide guiding questions for study design and discuss the eDNA metabarcoding workflow with a focus on primers and library preparation methods. We additionally discuss important criteria for consideration of bioinformatic filtering of data sets, with recommendations for increasing transparency. Finally, looking to the future, we discuss emerging applications of eDNA metabarcoding in ecology, conservation, invasion biology, biomonitoring, and how eDNA metabarcoding can empower citizen science and biodiversity education.     

Environmental DNA metabarcoding of wild flowers reveals diverse communities of terrestrial arthropods

Terrestrial arthropods comprise the most species‐rich communities on Earth, and grassland flowers provide resources for hundreds of thousands of arthropod species. Diverse grassland ecosystems worldwide are threatened by various types of environmental change, which has led to decline in arthropod diversity. At the same time, monitoring grassland arthropod diversity is time‐consuming and strictly dependent on declining taxonomic expertise. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding of complex samples has demonstrated that information on species compositions can be efficiently and non‐invasively obtained. Here, we test the potential of wild flowers as a novel source of arthropod eDNA. We performed eDNA metabarcoding of flowers from several different plant species using two sets of generic primers, targeting the mitochondrial genes 16S rRNA and COI. Our results show that terrestrial arthropod species leave traces of DNA on the flowers that they interact with. We obtained eDNA from at least 135 arthropod species in 67 families and 14 orders, together representing diverse ecological groups including pollinators, parasitoids, gall inducers, predators, and phytophagous species. Arthropod communities clustered together according to plant species. Our data also indicate that this experiment was not exhaustive, and that an even higher arthropod richness could be obtained using this eDNA approach. Overall, our results demonstrate that it is possible to obtain information on diverse communities of insects and other terrestrial arthropods from eDNA metabarcoding of wild flowers. This novel source of eDNA represents a vast potential for addressing fundamental research questions in ecology, obtaining data on cryptic and unknown species of plant‐associated arthropods, as well as applied research on pest management or conservation of endangered species such as wild pollinators.     

Needle in a haystack? A comparison of eDNA metabarcoding and targeted qPCR for detection of the great crested newt (Triturus cristatus)

Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is a rapid, cost‐effective, non‐invasive biodiversity monitoring tool which utilises DNA left behind in the environment by organisms for species detection. The method is used as a species‐specific survey tool for rare or invasive species across a broad range of ecosystems. Recently, eDNA and “metabarcoding” have been combined to describe whole communities rather than focusing on single target species. However, whether metabarcoding is as sensitive as targeted approaches for rare species detection remains to be evaluated. The great crested newt Triturus cristatus is a flagship pond species of international conservation concern and the first UK species to be routinely monitored using eDNA. We evaluate whether eDNA metabarcoding has comparable sensitivity to targeted real‐time quantitative PCR (qPCR) for T. cristatus detection. Extracted eDNA samples (N = 532) were screened for T. cristatus by qPCR and analysed for all vertebrate species using high‐throughput sequencing technology. With qPCR and a detection threshold of 1 of 12 positive qPCR replicates, newts were detected in 50% of ponds. Detection decreased to 32% when the threshold was increased to 4 of 12 positive qPCR replicates. With metabarcoding, newts were detected in 34% of ponds without a detection threshold, and in 28% of ponds when a threshold (0.028%) was applied. Therefore, qPCR provided greater detection than metabarcoding but metabarcoding detection with no threshold was equivalent to qPCR with a stringent detection threshold. The proportion of T. cristatus sequences in each sample was positively associated with the number of positive qPCR replicates (qPCR score) suggesting eDNA metabarcoding may be indicative of eDNA concentration. eDNA metabarcoding holds enormous potential for holistic biodiversity assessment and routine freshwater monitoring. We advocate this community approach to freshwater monitoring to guide management and conservation, whereby entire communities can be initially surveyed to best inform use of funding and time for species‐specific surveys.     

Evaluation of seasonal dynamics of fungal DNA assemblages in a flow-regulated stream in a restored forest using eDNA metabarcoding

Investigation of seasonal variation in fungal communities is essential for understanding biodiversity and ecosystem functions. However, the conventional sampling method, with substrate removal and high spatial heterogeneity of community composition, makes surveying the seasonality of fungal communities challenging. Recently, water environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has been explored for its utility in biodiversity surveys. In this study, we assessed whether the seasonality of fungal communities can be detected by monitoring eDNA in a forest stream. We conducted monthly water sampling in a forest stream over 2 years and used DNA metabarcoding to identify fungal eDNA. The stream water contained DNA from functionally diverse aquatic and terrestrial fungi, such as plant decomposers, parasites and mutualists. The variation in the fungal assemblage showed a regular annual periodicity, meaning that the assemblages in a given season were similar, irrespective of the year or sampling. Furthermore, the strength of the annual periodicity varied among functional groups. Our results suggest that forest streams may act as a ‘trap’ for terrestrial fungal DNA derived from different habitats, allowing the analysis of fungal DNA in stream water to provide information about the temporal variation in fungal communities in both the aquatic and the surrounding terrestrial ecosystems.     

Terrestrial mammal surveillance using hybridization capture of environmental DNA from African waterholes

Determining species distributions can be extremely challenging but is crucial to ecological and conservation research. Environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches have shown particular promise in aquatic systems for several vertebrate and invertebrate species. For terrestrial animals, however, eDNA‐based surveys are considerably more difficult due to the lack of or difficulty in obtaining appropriate sampling substrate. In water‐limited ecosystem where terrestrial mammals are often forced to congregate at waterholes, water and sediment from shared water sources may be a suitable substrate for noninvasive eDNA approaches. We characterized mitochondrial DNA sequences from a broad range of terrestrial mammal species in two different African ecosystems (in Namibia and Tanzania) using eDNA isolated from native water, sediment and water filtered through glass fibre filters. A hybridization capture enrichment with RNA probes targeting the mitochondrial genomes of 38 mammal species representing the genera/families expected at the respective ecosystems was employed, and 16 species were identified, with a maximum mitogenome coverage of 99.8%. Conventional genus‐specific PCRs were tested on environmental samples for two genera producing fewer positive results than hybridization capture enrichment. An experiment with mock samples using DNA from non‐African mammals showed that baits covering 30% of nontarget mitogenomes produced 91% mitogenome coverage after capture. In the mock samples, over‐representation of DNA of one species still allowed for the detection of DNA of other species that was at a 100‐fold lower concentration. Hybridization capture enrichment of eDNA is therefore an effective method for monitoring terrestrial mammal species from shared water sources.     

Investigating the Potential Use of Environmental DNA (eDNA) for Genetic Monitoring of Marine Mammals

The exploitation of non-invasive samples has been widely used in genetic monitoring of terrestrial species. In aquatic ecosystems, non-invasive samples such as feces, shed hair or skin, are less accessible. However, the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) has recently been shown to be an effective tool for genetic monitoring of species presence in freshwater ecosystems. Detecting species in the marine environment using eDNA potentially offers a greater challenge due to the greater dilution, amount of mixing and salinity compared with most freshwater ecosystems. To determine the potential use of eDNA for genetic monitoring we used specific primers that amplify short mitochondrial DNA sequences to detect the presence of a marine mammal, the harbor porpoise, Phocoena phocoena, in a controlled environment and in natural marine locations. The reliability of the genetic detections was investigated by comparing with detections of harbor porpoise echolocation clicks by static acoustic monitoring devices. While we were able to consistently genetically detect the target species under controlled conditions, the results from natural locations were less consistent and detection by eDNA was less successful than acoustic detections. However, at one site we detected long-finned pilot whale, Globicephala melas, a species rarely sighted in the Baltic. Therefore, with optimization aimed towards processing larger volumes of seawater this method has the potential to compliment current visual and acoustic methods of species detection of marine mammals.     

In silico and empirical evaluation of twelve metabarcoding primer sets for insectivorous diet analyses

During the most recent decade, environmental DNA metabarcoding approaches have been both developed and improved to minimize the biological and technical biases in these protocols. However, challenges remain, notably those relating to primer design. In the current study, we comprehensively assessed the performance of ten COI and two 16S primer pairs for eDNA metabarcoding, including novel and previously published primers. We used a combined approach of in silico, in vivo‐mock community (33 arthropod taxa from 16 orders), and guano‐based analyses to identify primer sets that would maximize arthropod detection and taxonomic identification, successfully identify the predator (bat) species, and minimize the time and financial costs of the experiment. We focused on two insectivorous bat species that live together in mixed colonies: the greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) and Geoffroy's bat (Myotis emarginatus). We found that primer degeneracy is the main factor that influences arthropod detection in silico and mock community analyses, while amplicon length is critical for the detection of arthropods from degraded DNA samples. Our guano‐based results highlight the importance of detecting and identifying both predator and prey, as guano samples can be contaminated by other insectivorous species. Moreover, we demonstrate that amplifying bat DNA does not reduce the primers' capacity to detect arthropods. We therefore recommend the simultaneous identification of predator and prey. Finally, our results suggest that up to one‐third of prey occurrences may be unreliable and are probably not of primary interest in diet studies, which may decrease the relevance of combining several primer sets instead of using a single efficient one. In conclusion, this study provides a pragmatic framework for eDNA primer selection with respect to scientific and methodological constraints.     

Identifying error and accurately interpreting environmental DNA metabarcoding results: A case study to detect vertebrates at arid zone waterholes

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding surveys enable rapid, noninvasive identification of taxa from trace samples with wide‐ranging applications from characterizing local biodiversity to identifying food‐web interactions. However, the technique is prone to error from two major sources: (a) contamination through foreign DNA entering the workflow, and (b) misidentification of DNA within the workflow. Both types of error have the potential to obscure true taxon presence or to increase taxonomic richness by incorrectly identifying taxa as present at sample sites, but multiple error sources can remain unaccounted for in metabarcoding studies. Here, we use data from an eDNA metabarcoding study designed to detect vertebrate species at waterholes in Australia's arid zone to illustrate where and how in the workflow errors can arise, and how to mitigate those errors. We detected the DNA of 36 taxa spanning 34 families, 19 orders and five vertebrate classes in water samples from waterholes, demonstrating the potential for eDNA metabarcoding surveys to provide rapid, noninvasive detection in remote locations, and to widely sample taxonomic diversity from aquatic through to terrestrial taxa. However, we initially identified 152 taxa in the samples, meaning there were many false positive detections. We identified the sources of these errors, allowing us to design a stepwise process to detect and remove error, and provide a template to minimize similar errors that are likely to arise in other metabarcoding studies. Our findings suggest eDNA metabarcoding surveys need to be carefully conducted and screened for errors to ensure their accuracy.     

Assessing the potential of environmental DNA metabarcoding for monitoring Neotropical mammals: a case study in the Amazon and Atlantic Forest,Brazil

The application of environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding as a biomonitoring tool has greatly increased, but studies have focused on temperate aquatic macro-organisms. We apply eDNA metabarcoding to detecting the mammalian community in two high-biodiversity regions of Brazil: the Amazon and Atlantic Forests. We identified Critically Endangered and Endangered mammalian species and found overlap with species identified via camera trapping. We highlight the potential for using eDNA monitoring for mammals in biodiverse regions and identify challenges: we need a better understanding of the ecology of eDNA within variable environments and more appropriate reference sequences for species identification in these anthropogenically impacted biomes.     

Detection of invasive freshwater fish species using environmental DNA survey

Invasive species are one of the most significant problem in freshwater ecosystems. Most common non-native freshwater species in Turkish freshwater fish fauna are Prussian Carp (Carassius gibelio), North African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus), Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Topmouth Gudgeon (Pseudorasbora parva).Recent studies showed that environmental DNA could be used to detect target species inhabiting the ecosystem with higher precision and less effort compared to traditional field surveys. In this study, eDNA approach was used to investigate non-native freshwater fish species from fifteen different locations of Upper Sakarya Basin. eDNA was successfully extracted from the water samples of locations where the species were visually observed. Mean amplification rate of eDNA was calculated as 77.03%.This study is the first environmental DNA study used in detection of four of the most common invasive freshwater fish species. Results clearly indicating that eDNA surveys could be used as an important molecular tool to monitor invasive fish species in freshwater ecosystems.     

Environmental DNA detection of rare and invasive fish species in two Great Lakes tributaries

The extraction and characterization of DNA from aquatic environmental samples offers an alternative, noninvasive approach for the detection of rare species. Environmental DNA, coupled with PCR and next‐generation sequencing (“metabarcoding”), has proven to be very sensitive for the detection of rare aquatic species. Our study used a custom‐designed group‐specific primer set and next‐generation sequencing for the detection of three species at risk (Eastern Sand Darter, Ammocrypta pellucida; Northern Madtom, Noturus stigmosus; and Silver Shiner, Notropis photogenis), one invasive species (Round Goby, Neogobius melanostomus) and an additional 78 native species from two large Great Lakes tributary rivers in southern Ontario, Canada: the Grand River and the Sydenham River. Of 82 fish species detected in both rivers using capture‐based and eDNA methods, our eDNA method detected 86.2% and 72.0% of the fish species in the Grand River and the Sydenham River, respectively, which included our four target species. Our analyses also identified significant positive and negative species co‐occurrence patterns between our target species and other identified species. Our results demonstrate that eDNA metabarcoding that targets the fish community as well as individual species of interest provides a better understanding of factors affecting the target species spatial distribution in an ecosystem than possible with only target species data. Additionally, eDNA is easily implemented as an initial survey tool, or alongside capture‐based methods, for improved mapping of species distribution patterns.     

Detection of rare and invasive freshwater fish species using eDNA pyrosequencing: Lake Iznik ichthyofauna revised

Assessment of fish biodiversity in freshwater environments is challenging, especially when rare species or species with low population densities exist. Environmental DNA is becoming a common tool in molecular ecology to detect target species found in the environment. Moreover, eDNA metabarcoding is now used to determine a complete list of target organisms without any prior knowledge on the species inhabiting the environment. This study is the first environmental DNA study designed to assess complete ichthyofauna of the largest lake in Marmara Region of Turkey. For this purpose, an eDNA metabarcoding approach enhanced with tagged primers according to sampling stations for a station specific species listing was used to revise the ichthyofauna of Lake Iznik. Results of pyrosequencing data indicate the presence of 23 species in the lake, five of which are reported for the first time. Short fragment of cytochrome b gene sequences amplified in this study were able to make identifications at species level and the eDNA metabarcoding approach was more cost effective and precise compared to conventional surveys. More molecular data from further studies will enhance the reference databases and eDNA metabarcoding could be used more efficiently as an important molecular tool in biodiversity assessment studies.     

基于环境DNA宏条形码的洱海鱼类多样性研究

研究使用环境DNA宏条形码(eDNA metabarcoding)检测洱海鱼类多样性, 探索适用于洱海鱼类多样性监测和保护的新方法。通过水样采集、过滤、eDNA提取、遗传标记扩增、测序与生物信息分析的环境DNA宏条形码标准化分析流程, 从洱海16个采样点中获得可检测的9个采样点数据, 共检测出17种鱼类, 其中土著种5种、外来种12种; 鲫(Carassius auratus)、鳙(Hypophthalmichthys nobilis)、麦穗鱼(Pseudorasbora parva)、泥鳅(Misgurnus anguillicaudatus)和食蚊鱼(Gambusia affinis)为优势种。研究结果表明虽然环境DNA宏条形码无法完全替代传统的鱼类监测方法, 但作为一种新兴的生物多样性监测手段, 其可用于快速检测洱海鱼类多样性及其空间分布。     

Detecting an elusive invasive species: a diagnostic PCR to detect Burmese python in Florida waters and an assessment of persistence of environmental DNA

Recent studies have demonstrated that detection of environmental DNA (eDNA) from aquatic vertebrates in water bodies is possible. The Burmese python, Python bivittatus, is a semi‐aquatic, invasive species in Florida where its elusive nature and cryptic coloration make its detection difficult. Our goal was to develop a diagnostic PCR to detect P. bivittatus from water‐borne eDNA, which could assist managers in monitoring this invasive species. First, we used captive P. bivittatus to determine whether reptilian DNA could be isolated and amplified from water samples. We also evaluated the efficacy of two DNA isolation methods and two DNA extraction kits commonly used in eDNA preparation. A fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene from P. bivittatus was detected in all water samples isolated with the sodium acetate precipitate and the QIAamp DNA Micro Kit. Next, we designed P. bivittatus‐specific primers and assessed the degradation rate of eDNA in water. Our primers did not amplify DNA from closely related species, and we found that P. bivittatus DNA was consistently detectable up to 96 h. Finally, we sampled water from six field sites in south Florida. Samples from five sites, where P. bivittatus has been observed, tested positive for eDNA. The final site was negative and had no prior documented evidence of P. bivittatus. This study shows P. bivittatus eDNA can be isolated from water samples; thus, this method is a new and promising technique for the management of invasive reptiles.     

Moving eDNA surveys onto land: Strategies for active eDNA aggregation to detect invasive forest insects

The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys to monitor terrestrial species has been relatively limited, with successful implementations still confined to sampling DNA from natural or artificial water bodies and soil. Sampling water for eDNA depends on proximity to or availability of water, whereas eDNA from soil is limited in its spatial scale due to the large quantities necessary for processing and difficulty in doing so. These challenges limit the widespread use of eDNA in several systems, such as surveying forests for invasive insects. We developed two new eDNA aggregation approaches that overcome the challenges of above‐ground terrestrial sampling and eliminate the dependency on creating or utilizing pre‐existing water bodies to conduct eDNA sampling. The first, “spray aggregation,” uses spray action to remove eDNA from surface substrates and was developed for shrubs and other understorey vegetation, while the second, “tree rolling,” uses physical transfer via a roller to remove eDNA from the surface of tree trunks and large branches. We tested these approaches by surveying for spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula, a recent invasive pest of northeastern USA that is considered a significant ecological and economic threat to forests and agriculture. We found that our terrestrial eDNA surveys matched visual surveys, but also detected L. delicatula presence ahead of visual surveys, indicating increased sensitivity of terrestrial eDNA surveys over currently used methodology. The terrestrial eDNA approaches we describe can be adapted for use in surveying a variety of forest insects and represent a novel strategy for surveying terrestrial biodiversity.     

Toward an ecoregion scale evaluation of eDNA metabarcoding primers: A case study for the freshwater fish biodiversity of the Murray–Darling Basin (Australia)

High‐throughput sequencing of environmental DNA (i.e., eDNA metabarcoding) has become an increasingly popular method for monitoring aquatic biodiversity. At present, such analyses require target‐specific primers to amplify DNA barcodes from co‐occurring species, and this initial amplification can introduce biases. Understanding the performance of different primers is thus recommended prior to undertaking any metabarcoding initiative. While multiple software programs are available to evaluate metabarcoding primers, all programs have their own strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, a robust in silico workflow for the evaluation of metabarcoding primers will benefit from the use of multiple programs. Furthermore, geographic differences in species biodiversity are likely to influence the performance of metabarcoding primers and further complicate the evaluation process. Here, an in silico workflow is presented that can be used to evaluate the performance of metabarcoding primers on an ecoregion scale. This workflow was used to evaluate the performance of published and newly developed eDNA metabarcoding primers for the freshwater fish biodiversity of the Murray–Darling Basin (Australia). To validate the in silico workflow, a subset of the primers, including one newly designed primer pair, were used in metabarcoding analyses of an artificial DNA community and eDNA samples. The results show that the in silico workflow allows for a robust evaluation of metabarcoding primers and can reveal important trade‐offs that need to be considered when selecting the most suitable primer. Additionally, a new primer pair was described and validated that allows for more robust taxonomic assignments and is less influenced by primer biases compared to commonly used fish metabarcoding primers.     

Distinct latitudinal community patterns of Arctic marine vertebrates along the East Greenlandic coast detected by environmental DNA

Aim

Greenland is one of the places on Earth where the effects of climate change are most evident. The retreat of sea ice has made East Greenland more accessible for longer periods during the year. East Greenland fjords have been notoriously difficult to study due to their remoteness, dense sea ice conditions and lack of infrastructure. As a result, biological monitoring across latitudinal gradients is scarce in East Greenland and relies on sporadic research cruises and trawl data from commercial vessels. We here aim to investigate the transition in fish and marine mammal communities from South to Northeast Greenland using environmental DNA (eDNA).

Location

South to Northeast Greenland.

Methods

We investigated the transition in fish and marine mammal communities from South to Northeast Greenland using eDNA metabarcoding of seawater samples. We included both surface and mesopelagic samples, collected over approximately 2400 km waterway distance, by sampling from Cape Farewell to Ella Island in August 2021.

Results

We demonstrate a clear transition in biological communities from south to northeast, with detected fish and mammal species matching known distributions. Samples from the southern areas were dominated by capelin (Mallotus villosus) and redfish (Sebastes), whereas northeastern samples were dominated by polar cod (Boreogadus saida), sculpins (Myoxocephalus) and ringed seal (Pusa hispida). We provide newly generated 12S rRNA barcodes from 87 fish species, bringing the public DNA database closer to full taxonomic coverage for Greenlandic fish species for this locus.

Main Conclusions

Our results demonstrate that eDNA sampling can detect latitudinal shifts in marine biological communities of the Arctic region, which can supplement traditional fish surveys in understanding species distributions and community compositions of marine vertebrates. Importantly, sampling of eDNA can be a feasible approach for detecting northward range expansions in remote areas as climate change progresses.