Environmental DNA metabarcoding reveals comparable responses to agricultural stressors on different trophic levels of a freshwater community.

Autor: Beentjes KK; Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.; Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands., Barmentlo SH; Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.; Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands., Cieraad E; Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.; Nelson-Marlborough Institute of Technology, Nelson, New Zealand., Schilthuizen M; Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.; Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands., van der Hoorn BB; Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands., Speksnijder AGCL; Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands., Trimbos KB; Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Molecular ecology [Mol Ecol] 2022 Mar; Vol. 31 (5), pp. 1430-1443. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Jan 06.
DOI: 10.1111/mec.16326
Abstrakt: Freshwater habitats are under stress from agricultural land use, most notably the influx of neonicotinoid pesticides and increased nutrient pressure from fertilizer. Traditional studies investigating the effects of stressors on freshwater systems are often limited to a narrow range of taxa, depending heavily on morphological expertise. Additionally, disentanglement of multiple simultaneous stressors can be difficult in field studies, whereas controlled laboratory conditions do not accurately reflect natural conditions and food webs. To overcome these drawbacks, we investigated the impacts of two agricultural stressors (the neonicotinoid insecticide thiacloprid and fertilizer) in full-factorial design in a semi-natural research site, using environmental DNA sampling to study three different taxonomic groups representing three trophic levels: bacteria (decomposers), phytoplankton (primary producers), and chironomids (consumers). The results show considerable impact of both stressors across trophic levels, with an additive effect of fertilizer and thiacloprid on community composition at all levels. These findings suggest that agricultural stressors affect the entire food web, either directly or through cascade reactions. They are also consistent with morphological assessments that were performed in the same study site, even at a lower number of replicates. The study presented shows that the use of multimarker environmental DNA provides a more comprehensive assessment of stressor impacts across multiple trophic levels, at a higher taxonomic resolution than traditional surveys. Additionally, many putative novel bioindicators for both agricultural stressors were discovered. We encourage further investigations into stressors impacts at different trophic levels, which will lead to more effective monitoring and management of freshwater systems.
(© 2021 The Authors. Molecular Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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