Integrating citizen science and environmental DNA metabarcoding to study biodiversity of groundwater amphipods in Switzerland.

ABSTRACT: Groundwater is the physically largest freshwater ecosystem, yet one of the least explored habitats on earth, both because of accessing difficulties and the scarcity of the organisms inhabiting it. Here, we demonstrate how a two-fold approach provides complementary information on the occurrence and diversity of groundwater amphipods. Firstly, we used a citizen science approach in collaboration with municipal water providers who sampled groundwater organisms in their spring catchment boxes over multiple weeks, followed by DNA barcoding. Secondly, we collected four 10 L water samples at each site, in one sampling event, for environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding. We found that citizen science was very effective in describing the distribution and abundance of groundwater amphipods. Although th

SUBMITTER: Couton M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10593815 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature