Acidity promotes degradation of multi-species environmental DNA in lotic mesocosms

Seymour, Mathew, Durance, Isabelle ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4138-3349, Cosby, Bernard J., Ransom-Jones, Emma, Deiner, Kristy, Ormerod, Stephen ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8174-302X, Colbourne John, K., Wilgar, Gregory, Carvalho, Gary R., de Bruyn, Mark, Edwards, Francois, Bridget, Emmet A., Bik, Holly M. and Creer, Simon 2018. Acidity promotes degradation of multi-species environmental DNA in lotic mesocosms. Communications Biology 1 , 4. 10.1038/s42003-017-0005-3

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Abstract

Accurate quantification of biodiversity is fundamental to understanding ecosystem function and for environmental assessment. Molecular methods using environmental DNA (eDNA) offer a non-invasive, rapid, and cost-effective alternative to traditional biodiversity assessments, which require high levels of expertise. While eDNA analyses are increasingly being utilized, there remains considerable uncertainty regarding the dynamics of multispecies eDNA, especially in variable systems such as rivers. Here, we utilize four sets of upland stream mesocosms, across an acid–base gradient, to assess the temporal and environmental degradation of multispecies eDNA. Sampling included water column and biofilm sampling over time with eDNA quantified using qPCR. Our findings show that the persistence of lotic multispecies eDNA, sampled from water and biofilm, decays to non-detectable levels within 2 days and that acidic environments accelerate the degradation process. Collectively, the results provide the basis for a predictive framework for the relationship between lotic eDNA degradation dynamics in spatio-temporally dynamic river ecosystems.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Biosciences Water Research Institute (WATER)
Publisher:	Springer Nature
ISSN:	2399-3642
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	24 November 2017
Date of Acceptance:	26 October 2017
Last Modified:	05 May 2023 03:44
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/107036

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