Combining environmental DNA and visual surveys can inform conservation planning for coral reefs

Journal article


Muenzel, D., Bani, A., De Brauwer, M. and Beger, M. 2024. Combining environmental DNA and visual surveys can inform conservation planning for coral reefs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 121 (17), pp. 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2307214121
AuthorsMuenzel, D., Bani, A., De Brauwer, M. and Beger, M.
Abstract

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding has the potential to revolutionize conservation planning by providing spatially and taxonomically comprehensive data on biodiversity and ecosystem conditions, but its utility to inform the design of protected areas remains untested. Here, we quantify whether and how identifying conservation priority areas within coral reef ecosystems differs when biodiversity information is collected via eDNA analyses or traditional visual census records. We focus on 147 coral reefs in Indonesia’s hyper-diverse Wallacea region and show large discrepancies in the allocation and spatial design of conservation priority areas when coral reef species were surveyed with underwater visual techniques (fishes, corals, and algae) or eDNA metabarcoding (eukaryotes and metazoans). Specifically, incidental protection occurred for 55% of eDNA species when targets were set for species detected by visual surveys and 71% vice versa. This finding is supported by generally low overlap in detection between visual census and eDNA methods at species level, with more overlap at higher taxonomic ranks. Incomplete taxonomic reference databases for the highly diverse Wallacea reefs, and the complementary detection of species by the two methods, underscore the current need to combine different biodiversity data sources to maximize species representation in conservation planning

KeywordseDNA; coral reef; biodiversity; patial prioritization
Year2024
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Journal citation121 (17), pp. 1-8
PublisherNational Academy of Sciences
ISSN1091-6490
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2307214121
Web address (URL)https://www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.2307214121
Accepted author manuscript
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Open
Publisher's version
License
File Access Level
Open
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online15 Apr 2024
Publication process dates
Deposited20 May 2024
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https://repository.derby.ac.uk/item/q611v/combining-environmental-dna-and-visual-surveys-can-inform-conservation-planning-for-coral-reefs

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