Estimating biodiversity across the tree of life on Mount Everest's southern flank with environmental DNA

Marisa C W Lim; Anton Seimon; Batya Nightingale; Charles C Y Xu; Stephan R P Halloy; Adam J Solon; Nicholas B Dragone; Steven K Schmidt; Alex Tait; Sandra Elvin; Aurora C Elmore; Tracie A Seimon

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2022.104848

Estimating biodiversity across the tree of life on Mount Everest's southern flank with environmental DNA

iScience. 2022 Aug 15;25(9):104848. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104848. eCollection 2022 Sep 16.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Wildlife Conservation Society, Zoological Health Program, Bronx Zoo, Bronx, NY 10460, USA.
² Appalachian State University, Department of Geography and Planning, Boone, NC 28608, USA.
³ McGill University, Redpath Museum and Department of Biology, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0G4, Canada.
⁴ Ministry for Primary Industries, Wellington 6011, New Zealand.
⁵ University of Colorado, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
⁶ National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C. 20036, USA.
⁷ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.

Abstract

Species composition in high-alpine ecosystems is a useful indicator for monitoring climatic and environmental changes at the upper limits of habitable environments. We used environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis to document the breadth of high-alpine biodiversity present on Earth's highest mountain, Mt. Everest (8,849 m a.s.l.) in Nepal's Khumbu region. In April-May 2019, we collected eDNA from ten ponds and streams between 4,500 m and 5,500 m. Using multiple sequencing and bioinformatic approaches, we identified taxa from 36 phyla and 187 potential orders across the Tree of Life in Mt. Everest's high-alpine and aeolian ecosystem. These organisms, all recorded above 4,500 m-an elevational belt comprising <3% of Earth's land surface-represents ∼16% of global taxonomic order estimates. Our eDNA inventory will aid future high-Himalayan biomonitoring and retrospective molecular studies to assess changes over time as climate-driven warming, glacial melt, and anthropogenic influences reshape this rapidly transforming world-renowned ecosystem.

Keywords: bioinformatics; ecology; environmental biotechnology.