A new sampling device for metabarcoding surveillance of port communities and detection of non-indigenous species

Jesús Zarcero; Adrià Antich; Marc Rius; Owen S Wangensteen; Xavier Turon

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.108588

A new sampling device for metabarcoding surveillance of port communities and detection of non-indigenous species

iScience. 2023 Nov 25;27(1):108588. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108588. eCollection 2024 Jan 19.

Authors

Jesús Zarcero^{1

2}, Adrià Antich¹, Marc Rius^{1

3}, Owen S Wangensteen², Xavier Turon¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Marine Ecology, Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB), CSIC, 17300 Blanes, Catalonia, Spain.
² Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences and Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio), University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
³ Department of Zoology, Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park Johannesburg 2006, South Africa.

Abstract

Metabarcoding techniques are revolutionizing studies of marine biodiversity. They can be used for monitoring non-indigenous species (NIS) in ports and harbors. However, they are often biased by inconsistent sampling methods and incomplete reference databases. Logistic constraints in ports prompt the development of simple, easy-to-deploy samplers. We tested a new device called polyamide mesh for ports organismal monitoring (POMPOM) with a high surface-to-volume ratio. POMPOMS were deployed inside a fishing and recreational port in the Mediterranean alongside conventional settlement plates. We also compiled a curated database with cytochrome oxidase (COI) sequences of Mediterranean NIS. COI metabarcoding of the communities settled in the POMPOMs captured a similar biodiversity than settlement plates, with shared molecular operational units (MOTUs) representing ca. 99% of reads. 38 NIS were detected in the port accounting for ca. 26% of reads. POMPOMs were easy to deploy and handle and provide an efficient method for NIS surveillance.

Keywords: Biological sciences; Ecology; Evolutionary biology.