title: Metabarcoding of benthic eukaryote communities predicts the ecological condition of estuaries.
abstract: DNA-derived measurements of biological composition have the potential to produce data covering all of life, and provide a tantalizing proposition for researchers and managers. We used metabarcoding to compare benthic eukaryote composition from five estuaries of varying condition. In contrast to traditional studies, we found biotic richness was greatest in the most disturbed estuary, with this being due to the large volume of extraneous material (i.e. run-off from aquaculture, agriculture and other catchment activities) being deposited in the system. In addition, we found strong correlations between composition and a number of environmental variables, including nutrients, pH and turbidity. A wide range of taxa responded to these environmental gradients, providing new insights into their sensitivities to natural and anthropogenic stressors. Metabarcoding has the capacity to bolster current monitoring techniques, enabling the decisions regarding ecological condition to be based on a more holistic view of biodiversity.
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Locked Bag 2007, Kirrawee, NSW 2232, Australia. Electronic address: Anthony.Chariton@csiro.au.
authors.forename: Anthony A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Chariton
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Locked Bag 2007, Kirrawee, NSW 2232, Australia.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stephenson
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Land and Water, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, GPO Box 2583, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrew D L
authors.initials: ADL
authors.lastname: Steven
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Land and Water, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Colloff
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Land and Water, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Leon N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Court
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Land and Water, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Hardy
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D055669:Ecological and Environmental Phenomena; D063366:Estuaries; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
chemical_list: D004247:DNA
keywords: 18S rRNA; Biomonitoring; DNA; Eukaryotes; High-throughput sequencing; Indicator taxa; Metabarcoding; Sediments; Threshold analysis