Abstract
By identifying fragments of DNA in the environment, eDNA approaches present a promising tool for monitoring biodiversity in a cost-effective way. This is particularly pertinent for countries where traditional morphological monitoring has been sparse. The first step to realising the potential of eDNA is to develop methodologies that are adapted to local conditions. Here, we test field and laboratory eDNA protocols (aqueous and sediment samples) in a range of semi-arid ecosystems in Namibia. We successfully gathered eDNA data on a broad suite of organisms at multiple trophic levels (including algae, invertebrates and bacteria) but identified two key challenges to the implementation of eDNA methods in the region: 1) high turbidity requires a tailored sampling technique and 2) identification of taxa by eDNA methods is currently constrained by a lack of reference data. We hope this work will guide the deployment of eDNA biomonitoring in the arid ecosystems of Namibia and neighbouring countries.
Highlights
Freshwaters host a disproportional amount of the Earth’s biodiversity, are vital for human societies, and are under high pressure from human activities (Vörösmarty et al, 2010; Reid et al, 2019)
We successfully gathered eDNA data on a broad suite of organisms at multiple trophic levels but identified two key challenges to the implementation of eDNA methods in the region: 1) high turbidity requires a tailored sampling technique and 2) identification of taxa by eDNA methods is currently constrained by a lack of reference data
We successfully gathered eDNA data on a broad suite of organisms at multiple trophic levels but identified two key challenges to the implementation of eDNA methods in the arid ecosystems of Namibia: 1) high turbidity requires a tailored sampling technique and 2) identification of taxa by eDNA methods is currently constrained by a lack of reference data
Summary
Freshwaters host a disproportional amount of the Earth’s biodiversity, are vital for human societies, and are under high pressure from human activities (Vörösmarty et al, 2010; Reid et al, 2019). A large proportion of global freshwaters are managed by developing countries (Syed and Famiglietti 2009), where ecosystem and human health are often closely tied (Myers et al, 2013). When ecosystems fail to function properly, they fail to deliver the goods and services on which the poorest disproportionally rely (Small et al, 2017). The residents of low-income countries are likely to be the most vulnerable when freshwater ecosystems collapse (Kumar and Yashiro 2014). The ecosystems of low-income countries are monitored less intensely than those of high-income countries (Martin et al, 2012). This is true for freshwater ecosystems (Jackson et al, 2016)
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