Abstract
This study is focused on the aquatic environments of the Sian Ka’an reserve, a World Heritage Site. We applied recently developed protocols for the rapid assessment of most animal taxa inhabiting any freshwater system using light traps and DNA barcodes, represented by the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI). We DNA barcoded 1037 specimens comprising mites, crustaceans, insects, and fish larvae from 13 aquatic environments close or inside the reserve, with a success rate of 99.8%. In total, 167 barcode index numbers (BINs) were detected. From them, we identified 43 species. All others remain as a BIN. Besides, we applied the non-invasive method of environmental DNA (eDNA) to analyze the adult fish communities and identified the sequences obtained with the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD). All round, we found 25 fish species and other terrestrial vertebrates from this region. No alien species was found. After comparing the BINs from all systems, we found that each water body was unique with respect to the communities observed. The reference library presented here represents the first step for future programs to detect any change in these ecosystems, including invasive species, and to improve the knowledge of freshwater zooplankton, enhancing the task of compiling the species barcodes not yet stored in databases (such as BOLD or GenBank).
Highlights
Introduction iationsFreshwater is the most valued resource globally, representing around 1% of all water in the biosphere
Based on the barcode index numbers (BINs) (= molecular taxonomic units (MOTUs)), we prepared a list for the finest possible identification of all species found
Ceriodaphnia, with rest of the fish species we found have been previously reported in Yucatan Peninsula
Summary
Samples were collected from 13 water bodies near the buffer zone ofwathe ter systems the Yucatan. We decided to work within the reserve, including other adjacent water bodies, because we know that all these systems are not isolated. They can be connected by subterranean waters or on the surface after floods, a common phenomenon in this region. In 2019, it was uncommonly dry during August (supposedly part of the rain season, occurring from May to October) The sample jars were placed in a container with ice before being transferred to the laboratory, where they were stored in a freezer at −18 ◦ C for at least one week. All filters were stored in cold gels till further analysis (see Section 2.4. for more details)
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