Unlocking Antarctic molecular time-capsules - Recovering historical environmental DNA from museum-preserved sponges.

Autor: Jeunen GJ; Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.; Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand., Mills S; National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand., Lamare M; Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand., Duffy GA; Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand., Knapp M; Coastal People: Southern Skies Centre of Research Excellence, Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand., Stanton JL; Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand., Mariani S; Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK., Treece J; Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand., Ferreira S; Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand., Durán-Vinet B; Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand., Zavodna M; Otago Genomics Facility, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand., Gemmell NJ; Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Molecular ecology resources [Mol Ecol Resour] 2024 Oct; Vol. 24 (7), pp. e14001. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jul 25.
DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.14001
Abstrakt: Marine sponges have recently emerged as efficient natural environmental DNA (eDNA) samplers. The ability of sponges to accumulate eDNA provides an exciting opportunity to reconstruct contemporary communities and ecosystems with high temporal and spatial precision. However, the use of historical eDNA, trapped within the vast number of specimens stored in scientific collections, opens up the opportunity to begin to reconstruct the communities and ecosystems of the past. Here, we define the term 'heDNA' to denote the historical environmental DNA that can be obtained from the recent past with high spatial and temporal accuracy. Using a variety of Antarctic sponge specimens stored in an extensive marine invertebrate collection, we were able to recover information on Antarctic fish biodiversity from specimens up to 20 years old. We successfully recovered 64 fish heDNA signals from 27 sponge specimens. Alpha diversity measures did not differ among preservation methods, but sponges stored frozen had a significantly different fish community composition compared to those stored dry or in ethanol. Our results show that we were consistently and reliably able to extract the heDNA trapped within marine sponge specimens, thereby enabling the reconstruction and investigation of communities and ecosystems of the recent past with a spatial and temporal resolution previously unattainable. Future research into heDNA extraction from other preservation methods, as well as the impact of specimen age and collection method, will strengthen and expand the opportunities for this novel resource to access new knowledge on ecological change during the last century.
(© 2024 The Author(s). Molecular Ecology Resources published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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