eDNA metabarcoding reveals shifts in sediment eukaryote communities in a metal contaminated estuary.
Mar Pollut Bull
; 191: 114896, 2023 Jun.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37058833
ABSTRACT
Metal contamination is a global issue impacting biodiversity in urbanised estuaries. Traditional methods to assess biodiversity are time consuming, costly and often exclude small or cryptic organisms due to difficulties with morphological identification. Metabarcoding approaches have been increasingly recognised for their utility in monitoring, however studies have focused on freshwater and marine systems despite the ecological significance of estuaries. We targeted estuarine eukaryote communities within the sediments of Australia's largest urbanised estuary, where a history of industrial activity has resulted in a metal contamination gradient. We identified specific eukaryote families with significant correlations with bioavailable metal concentrations, indicating sensitivity or tolerance to specific metals. While polychaete families Terebellidae and Syllidae demonstrated tolerance to the contamination gradient, members of the meio- and microfaunal communities including diatoms, dinoflagellates and nematodes displayed sensitivities. These may have high value as indicators but are frequently missed in traditional surveys due to sampling limitations.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Poliquetos
/
Eucariotos
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Animals
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article