Evaluating the performance of DNA metabarcoding for assessment of zooplankton communities in Western Lake Superior using multiple markers.

ABSTRACT: For DNA metabarcoding to attain its potential as a community assessment tool, we need to better understand its performance versus traditional morphological identification and work to address any remaining performance gaps in incorporating DNA metabarcoding into community assessments. Using fragments of the 18S nuclear and 16S mitochondrial rRNA genes and two fragments of the mitochondrial COI marker, we examined the use of DNA metabarcoding and traditional morphological identification for understanding the diversity and composition of crustacean zooplankton at 42 sites across western Lake Superior. We identified 51 zooplankton taxa (genus or species, depending on the finest resolution of the taxon across all identification methods), of which 17 were identified using only morphological trai

SUBMITTER: Meredith C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8384127 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature