Quantification of mesocosm fish and amphibian species diversity via environmental DNA metabarcoding.

ABSTRACT: Freshwater fauna are particularly sensitive to environmental change and disturbance. Management agencies frequently use fish and amphibian biodiversity as indicators of ecosystem health and a way to prioritize and assess management strategies. Traditional aquatic bioassessment that relies on capture of organisms via nets, traps and electrofishing gear typically has low detection probabilities for rare species and can injure individuals of protected species. Our objective was to determine whether environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling and metabarcoding analysis can be used to accurately measure species diversity in aquatic assemblages with differing structures. We manipulated the density and relative abundance of eight fish and one amphibian species in replicated 206-L mesocosms. Environmental D

SUBMITTER: Evans NT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4744776 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature