Logo image
Back
Characterization of Reef Fish Communities in the Gulf of Mexico Using Environmental Dna Metabarcoding
Thesis   Open access

Characterization of Reef Fish Communities in the Gulf of Mexico Using Environmental Dna Metabarcoding

Samantha Parker Engster
University of West Florida Libraries
Master of Science (MS), University of West Florida
2022

Metrics

65 File views/ downloads
161 Record Views

Abstract

Monitoring and sampling reef fish communities can be challenging due to the complexity of reefs, lack of habitat mapping, and detection issues (e.g., cryptofauna). Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a tool that does not require direct contact with target organisms and can provide an efficient way to detect species that occur at sampling sites, especially small-bodied, cryptic, or benthic species that are difficult to sample and often go undocumented. The objective of this study was to utilize eDNA metabarcoding to characterize species assemblages, diversity, and richness of reef fish communities according to habitat type in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Specifically, how reef fish communities differ by reef relief strata, habitat complexity, and sampling depth was investigated. A total of 48 fish taxa from 184 samples at 55 different sites were sequenced with high-throughput sequencing. A generalized linear mixed model did not show any significant relationships between the environmental variables and species richness. A canonical correspondence analysis showed the strongest discrimination between species and depth. Our results showcase the power of eDNA metabarcoding and its use for effectively monitoring Gulf of Mexico fishes.
pdf
Characterization of Reef Fish Communities in the Gulf of Mexico Using Environmental Dna Metabarcoding1.46 MBDownloadView
Preprint Thesis pdf Open Access

Details

Logo image