Cunnington, AV, Neave, EF, Shum, P, Collins, R and Mariani, S (2024) Temporal and Spatial eDNA Analysis of Fish Assemblagesin Postindustrial, Urban Coastal Habitats. Environmental DNA, 6 (6). pp. 1-13. ISSN 2637-4943

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Abstract

Urban coastal habitats experience substantial disturbances due to their proximity to human settlements and activities. Yet, de-spite the negative impact of urbanization on coastal environments, industrial structures can also provide artificial habitats.These are often easily accessible to regular surveys, including water sampling for environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis, anemerging and powerful tool for monitoring biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we utilized eDNA metabarcoding toinvestigate temporal and spatial trends in fish assemblages within urban coastal habitats between the Dee and Mersey estuaries(United Kingdom), historically one of the most anthropogenically impacted postindustrial coasts in the world. Over a 12-monthperiod, we conducted nine water sampling trips at two locations: the Albert Docks in central Liverpool, and the Marine Lake inWest Kirby. Illumina sequencing was used to analyze PCR amplicons generated using the fish-targeted Tele02-12S metabarcod-ing region. We found significant changes in fish community composition across the different months. Fish communities alsosignificantly differed between the two sites, with the patterns of temporal changes varying substantially between them. Seasonalappearances/disappearances of specific taxa (e.g., European eel, sand smelt, flounder, and herring) shed light on important eco-logical and behavioral processes that may have management implications. Results also corroborate previous findings on the im-portance of “molecular bycatch” (nontarget sequences) in expanding our understanding of the anthropogenic influences on thenatural environment. Overall, our findings emphasize the value of eDNA monitoring as a noninvasive, affordable, and sensitiveapproach for routine monitoring of temporal trends in fish assemblages, facilitating the stewardship of resilient urban coastalzones, and recognizing interventions that could increase biodiversity.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology
Divisions:	Biological and Environmental Sciences (from Sep 19)
Publisher:	Wiley
SWORD Depositor:	A Symplectic
Date Deposited:	20 Dec 2024 09:43
Last Modified:	20 Dec 2024 09:45
DOI or ID number:	10.1002/edn3.70043
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/25146

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