May, C (2024) Exploring Jellyfish as Natural Samplers of Environmental DNA. Other thesis, Liverpool John Moores University.

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Abstract

Conservation management aimed at mitigating the ongoing biodiversity loss critically relies on monitoring of ecosystems, to enable accurate predictions of species population sizes and distributions. Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has become increasingly popular for noninvasive and high-throughput species detection and biodiversity assessments. Recent advancements in the field include the use of natural samplers of eDNA (nsDNA), which are organisms that trap genetic material from the environment in their tissues. In this study, the potential of jellyfish to serve as marine nsDNA samplers was investigated. This was explored using four jellyfish (phylum Cnidaria, Class Schyphozoa) species (Aequorea forskalea, Aurelia solida, Rhizostoma pulmo, and Cotylorhiza tuberculata) that were collected from the same location. The findings revealed that jellyfish collect eDNA in their tissues, with 23 fish species detected from 12 jellyfish individuals. However, the amount of eDNA collected in the jellyfish tissue was shown to vary between different species. This study highlights the potential of jellyfish as tools for enhancing biodiversity monitoring efforts, particularly in remote and inaccessible areas where conventional surveying techniques may be difficult to employ but jellyfish can be easily captured. By opportunistically collecting jellyfish as nsDNA samplers, it is possible to overcome logistical constraints and obtain valuable eDNA samples, providing information on the biodiversity of environments that are otherwise challenging to collect eDNA. However, careful consideration must be given to the selection of jellyfish species for such surveys. The results of this pilot study offer new insights into the use of jellyfish as nsDNA samplers and provide a foundation for further advancements in biodiversity monitoring.

Item Type:	Thesis (Other)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Environmental DNA; Scyphozoa; metabarcoding; natural samplers; marine biomonitoring
Subjects:	Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology Q Science > QH Natural history > QH426 Genetics Q Science > QL Zoology
Divisions:	Biological and Environmental Sciences (from Sep 19)
SWORD Depositor:	A Symplectic
Date Deposited:	18 Nov 2024 12:34
Last Modified:	18 Nov 2024 12:34
DOI or ID number:	10.24377/LJMU.t.00024742
Supervisors:	Mariani, S and Wilding, C
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/24742

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