Environmental DNA (eDNA) Metabarcoding: Analysis of Freshwater Macroinvertebrate Community Structure and Diversity

<p>Macroinvertebrate identification via morphological surveys requires significant time, manpower, and expertise. These constraints can limit measures of biodiversity, and thus, new methods of macroinvertebrate sampling are being explored. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding, which can be used to identify the taxonomic composition of entire communities, has the potential to increase both survey efficiency and taxonomic resolution. In this study, I evaluated the efficacy of eDNA metabarcoding to document freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity in two watersheds (Whetstone Brook watershed and Orianna Brook Watershed) and one drainage ditch in Marquette County (MI, USA). I performed eDNA sampling to determine community richness and variability within and among each watershed, and I targeted cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) for amplicon sequencing. I analyzed the resulting alpha and beta biodiversity indexes to assess the ecological distribution of freshwater macroinvertebrates and found that freshwater macroinvertebrate community composition was significantly different among sites, where evidence of high taxa turnover suggests spatial and temporal drivers of community assemblage. Overall, my results indicate that the taxonomic data provided by eDNA metabarcoding can detect fine-scale variation at a local scale, suggesting that this method is a promising molecular technique for surveying freshwater macroinvertebrate biodiversity.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biology

Year dc:date.available

2024

Author dc:creator

• Hoehne, Katherine

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Katherine C. Teeter

• environmental DNA
• eDNA
• metabarcoding
• eDNA metabarcoding
• freshwater
• macroinvertebrates
• Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/860

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.nmu.edu:theses-1920