Using environmental DNA to better inform decision making around decommissioning alternatives for offshore oil and gas infrastructure.

Autor: Alexander JB; School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia. Electronic address: jason.alexander@curtin.edu.au., Marnane MJ; Chevron Technical Center, Perth, Western Australia, Australia., Elsdon TS; School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia; Chevron Technical Center, Perth, Western Australia, Australia., Bunce M; School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia; Department of Conservation, New Zealand., Sitaworawet P; PTTEP Energy Development Company Limited, Bangkok, Thailand., Songploy S; Aquatic Resources Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand., Chaiyakul S; Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production, Bangkok, Thailand., Harvey ES; School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: The Science of the total environment [Sci Total Environ] 2023 Nov 25; Vol. 901, pp. 165991. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Aug 02.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165991
Abstrakt: Artificial reefs are being utilised globally to aid in natural resource management, conservation, restoration or the creation of unique marine habitats. There is discussion around the optimal construction materials and designs for artificial reefs, the influences these have on biological communities, and the resulting ecological and social benefits. This discussion also includes the ecological value of repurposed marine infrastructure, such as decommissioned oil and gas platforms. Platforms often have an operational life spanning multiple decades, over which time they can develop extensive and unique community assemblages. The creation of artificial reefs by repurposing oil and gas platforms can have ecological, economic and sociological merit. However, with >12,000 platforms requiring decommissioning globally, there is the need for holistic assessment of biological communities associated with these platforms to inform the potential outcomes of different decommissioning options. We use environmental DNA metabarcoding (eDNA) of water, bio-foul and sediment samples to census broad eukaryotic diversity at eight platforms in the Gulf of Thailand (GoT) and five nearby soft sediment habitat locations. We sampled three target depths at sites (shallow, mid, deep) and detected 430 taxa at platforms, with higher diversity in shallow (near-surface) samples (313 taxa), compared to mid (30 m collection depth; 261 taxa) and deep (50 m; 273 taxa). Three percent of taxa were shared among all depths at platforms with distinct assembles at each depth. Introduced species are an ongoing risk for platforms, however the eDNA detected no known introduced species. While the eDNA data provide broad taxon coverage and significant assemblage patterns, ongoing sampling innovation, assay design and local reference material still require development to obtain the maximum benefit of the technique. This study highlights the versatility and scalability of eDNA metabarcoding to holistically census marine infrastructure and inform the management and potential conservation of extant communities.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Jason B Alexander reports financial support, article publishing charges, equipment, drugs, or supplies, and writing assistance were provided by Chevron Energy Technology Co. Jason B Alexander reports financial support was provided by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. Euan S Harvey reports a relationship with Chevron Energy Technology Co that includes: funding grants. Michael Bunce reports a relationship with Chevron Energy Technology Co that includes: funding grants. Travis Elsdon reports a relationship with Chevron Energy Technology Co that includes: employment. Michael Marnane reports a relationship with Chevron Energy Technology Co that includes: employment. Paweena Sitaworawet reports a relationship with Chevron Energy Technology Co that includes: employment. Se Songploy reports a relationship with Chevron Energy Technology Co that includes: funding grants. Sarin Chaiyakul reports a relationship with Chevron Energy Technology Co that includes: employment.
(Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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