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Citation
Tags
HERO ID
5093529
Reference Type
Journal Article
Title
DNA metabarcoding and morphological macroinvertebrate metrics reveal the same changes in boreal watersheds across an environmental gradient
Author(s)
Emilson, CE; Thompson, DG; Venier, LA; Porter, TM; Swystun, T; Chartrand, D; Capell, S; Hajibabaei, M
Year
2017
Is Peer Reviewed?
1
Journal
Scientific Reports
EISSN:
2045-2322
Volume
7
Issue
1
Page Numbers
12777
Language
English
PMID
28986575
DOI
10.1038/s41598-017-13157-x
Web of Science Id
WOS:000412492400003
Abstract
Cost-effective, ecologically relevant, sensitive, and standardized indicators are requisites of biomonitoring. DNA metabarcoding of macroinvertebrate communities is a potentially transformative biomonitoring technique that can reduce cost and time constraints while providing information-rich, high resolution taxonomic data for the assessment of watershed condition. Here, we assess the utility of DNA metabarcoding to provide aquatic indicator data for evaluation of forested watershed condition across Canadian eastern boreal watersheds, subject to natural variation and low-intensity harvest management. We do this by comparing the similarity of DNA metabarcoding and morphologically derived macroinvertebrate metrics (i.e. richness, % Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera, % chironomid), and the ability of DNA metabarcoding and morphological metrics to detect key gradients in stream condition linked to forested watershed features. Our results show consistency between methods, where common DNA metabarcoding and morphological macroinvertebrate metrics are positively correlated and indicate the same key gradients in stream condition (i.e. dissolved oxygen, and dissolved organic carbon, total nitrogen and conductivity) linked to watershed size and shifts in forest composition across watersheds. Our study demonstrates the potential usefulness of macroinvertebrate DNA metabarcoding to future application in broad-scale biomonitoring of watershed condition across environmental gradients.
Tags
•
Nutrient Stressors and Biological Responses
Geographic Location
Canada
Nutrient Stressor
TP
Biological Response
Macroinvertebrates
Document Type
Journal Article
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