Delve Deeper #4: The potential of Environmental DNA as a plankton monitoring tool of coastal waters and aquaculture

Discover the depths of marine science research with Delve Deeper, a thought-provoking 2024 webinar series curated by MASTS. Immerse yourself in the latest marine research, engage with interdisciplinary dialogues, and become an integral part of our growing community. With themes spanning Environmental Impact, Resource Exploration, Technological Advancements, and Coastal Sustainability, each episode promises an exciting dive into the ever-evolving world of marine science.

The potential of Environmental DNA as a plankton monitoring tool of coastal waters and aquaculture

By Dr Sofie Spatharis

Coastal ecosystems and aquaculture are increasingly subject to environmental threats that stem from the plankton such as eutrophication, harmful algal blooms and blooms of gelatinous zooplankton. Current methods of plankton monitoring that rely on morphological identification, lack sensitivity and specificity, can be time consuming, and require taxonomic expertise. Data generated, thus fail to provide actionable and timely information to aquaculture and coastal water quality managers.

During the past ten years, we have employed both plankton community and eDNA metabarcoding to test the potential of this method in improving our detection accuracy of plankton species. I will be presenting the potential of this DNA-based data in assessing biodiversity and abundance in comparison with plankton morphological identification.

Find out more about Dr Sofie Spatharis’s work here.

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