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.
Highlights
Accurate quantification of biodiversity is fundamental to understanding ecosystem function and for environmental assessment
Environmental DNA is predicted to be a powerful source of information for assessing species and community dynamics, as it allows higher spatial and temporal sampling resolution at increased accuracy compared to traditional methods[2, 27,28,29]
We found clear indication that environmental conditions interact with temporal dynamics to influence environmental DNA (eDNA) persistence
Summary
Accurate quantification of biodiversity is fundamental to understanding ecosystem function and for environmental assessment. Despite the burgeoning applications of eDNA, there still is limited understanding of the temporal, physical, and chemical factors that influence eDNA persistence dynamics, including eDNA degradation and transport. Overall, understanding how and where detection rates are influenced by environmental factors is paramount for utilizing eDNA methods effectively across systems in order to assimilate knowledge of biodiversity trends Despite their ecological and socio-economic importance, lotic systems (i.e., rapidly moving freshwater bodies such as rivers and streams) have rarely been the focus of eDNA investigations. The focus of lotic eDNA studies has been on assessing the spatial signal of transporting eDNA, with disparate results suggesting that the eDNA transit distance ranges from meters to kilometers[11, 22,23,24,25] Disparities in these findings likely relates to several physical factors. There is a clear need to experimentally assess temporal eDNA dynamics occurring in natural lotic systems
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