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Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been adopted globally as a tool to combat biodiversity loss and restore marine ecosystems. Successful application of MPAs will be predicated on the ability to monitor biodiversity in a synoptic and noninvasive manner. Environmental DNA (eDNA) methods have important advantages over traditional biodiversity survey methods for monitoring conservation areas. To evaluate the efficacy of eDNA metabarcoding for fish biodiversity monitoring, we sampled 19 coastal eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds in Canada, as eelgrass beds are known for high biodiversity and significant conservation value. At each site, beach seines were used to survey fish and water samples were collected contemporaneously for eDNA metabarcoding. In total, beach seining caught 32 672 individuals across 59 fish taxa, and eDNA detected 129 fish taxa. eDNA captured site-level variation and detected higher species richness at both site and regional levels compared to seining. eDNA abundance had a positive association with capture abundance. Collectively these results highlight how eDNA metabarcoding offers an efficient approach for monitoring fish biodiversity in coastal eelgrass beds, thus providing a valuable and noninvasive tool for MPA planning and coastal monitoring. Les aires marines protegees (AMP) ont ete adoptees partout dans le monde comme outil pour contrer la perte de biodiversite et restaurer les ecosystemes marins. L'application efficace des AMP dependra de la capacite de surveillance synoptique et non invasive de la biodiversite. Les methodes reposant sur l'ADN environnemental (ADNe) presentent d'importants avantages par rapport aux methodes traditionnelles devaluation de la biodiversite pour la surveillance des aires de conservation. Afin d'evaluer l'efficacite du metacodage a barres de l'ADNe pour la surveillance de la biodiversite des poissons, nous avons echantillonne 19 herbiers de zostere (Zostera marina) cotiers au Canada, puisqu'il est etabli que ces derniers presentent une forte biodiversite et une importante valeur pour la conservation. Dans chaque site, des sennes de plage ont ete utilisees pour recenser les poissons et des echantillons d'eau ont ete preleves en meme temps pour les fins du metacodage a barres de l'ADNe. Au total, 32 672 specimens de 59 taxons de poissons ont ete pris a la senne de plage et l'ADNe a permis de detecter 129 taxons de poissons. Les donnees d'ADNe font ressortir des variations a l'echelle du site et une plus grande richesse specifique a l'echelle tant regionale que du site que la peche a la senne. L'abondance d'ADNe est positivement reliee a l'abondance des prises. Collectivement, ces resultats soulignent le fait que le metacodage a barres de l'ADNe constitue une approche efficace pour la surveillance de la biodiversite des poissons dans les herbiers a zostere cotiers, offrant ainsi un important outil non invasif pour la planification des APM et la surveillance cotiere. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction Awareness of the implications of global biodiversity loss has increased over the past two decades, as has acknowledgement that biodiversity conservation should be part of broader economic and political [...]

Abstract: DNA barcoding has been used successfully for identifying specimens belonging to marine planktonic groups. However, the ability to delineate species within taxonomically diverse and widely distributed marine groups, such [...]

Data from eight microsatellite markers screened in 246 rhinoceros auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata) from across the North Pacific revealed multiple genetic groups. The east (North America) to west (Japan) split was clearly evident in all analyses. Within the eastern Pacific, a minimum of three genetic groups are present. Surprisingly, rhinoceros auklets from Triangle Island, British Columbia, were genetically isolated from other nearby populations, including the breeding colony on Pine Island (~100 km to the east). A fourth genetic cluster (Chowiet Is) was detected using principal coordinate's analysis; however, sample sizes were limited. Patterns of differentiation correspond to nonbreeding distributions with the eastern and western Pacific birds spending time off the west coast of North America and Japan, respectively, and may represent historical isolation in separate refugia during the Pleistocene glaciations. The patterns of genetic structure result from a combination of historical and contemporary factors influencing dispersal of rhinoceros auklets., Introduction The rhinoceros auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata) breeds on islands in the North Pacific from California to Japan. Breeding colonies are not evenly distributed along the coastline nor are population numbers [...]

ABSTRACT The Olympia oyster (Ostrea lurida) is the only oyster species native to British Columbia, Canada. Despite management regulations designed to protect this species, populations continue to decline in many [...]

Non‐indigenous species (NIS) reach every corner of the world, at times wreaking havoc on ecosystems and costing the global economy billions of dollars. A rapid and accurate biosurveillance tool tailored to a particular biogeographic region is needed to detect NIS when they are first introduced into an area as traditional detection methods are expensive and require specialized expertise. Metabarcoding of environmental and community DNA meets those biosurveillance requirements; a novel tool tailored to the Northwest Pacific Ocean is presented here using an approach that could revolutionize early detection of NIS. Eight newly designed genetic markers for multiple gene regions were implemented to meet the stringent taxonomic requirements for the detection of NIS across four major marine phyla. The tool was considered highly successful because it identified 12 known NIS in the study area and a further seven species representing potential new records. Overall community composition detected here was statistically different between substrate types; zooplankton sampling accounted for significantly higher species richness than filtered sea water in most cases, but this was dominated by mollusk and arthropod species. Both substrate types sampled were required to identify the wide taxonomic breadth of known NIS in the study area. Intensive sampling is known to be paramount for the detection of rare species, including new incursions of NIS, thus it is recommended to include diverse DNA sampling protocols based on species' life‐history characteristics for broad detection capacity. Application of a metabarcoding‐based molecular biosurveillance tool optimized for biogeographic regions enables rapid and accurate early detection across a wide taxonomic range to allow quick implementation of eradication or control efforts and potentially mitigate some of the devastating effects of NIS worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digeneans and cestodes are species-rich taxa and can seriously impact human health, fisheries, aqua- and agriculture, and wildlife conservation and management. DNA barcoding using the COI Folmer region could be applied for species detection and identification, but both 'universal' and taxon-specific COI primers fail to amplify in many flatworm taxa. We found that high levels of nucleotide variation at priming sites made it unrealistic to design primers targeting all flatworms. We developed new degenerate primers that enabled acquisition of the COI barcode region from 100% of specimens tested (n = 46), representing 23 families of digeneans and 6 orders of cestodes. This high success rate represents an improvement over existing methods. Primers and methods provided here are critical pieces towards redressing the current paucity of COI barcodes for these taxa in public databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]