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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Molecular Biology and Ecology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1522677

Effect of eDNA metabarcoding temporal sampling strategies on detection of coastal biodiversity

Provisionally accepted
Maelle Sevellec Maelle Sevellec 1*Anaïs Lacoursière-Roussel Anaïs Lacoursière-Roussel 2eric normandeau eric normandeau 3Louis Bernatchez Louis Bernatchez 3Kimberly Lynn Howland Kimberly Lynn Howland 1
  • 1 Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
  • 2 St. Andrews Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada
  • 3 Laval University, Quebec, Quebec, Canada

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding of water is increasingly being used to monitor coastal biodiversity shifts. However, we have limited knowledge of whether samples collected during discreet temporal periods depict holistic ecosystem changes over longer time spans.Methods: Here, we show how eDNA community structure varies across repeated sampling events at different temporal scales ranging from years to months to days at an Arctic coastal site, Churchill (Canada), using metabarcoding analyses of water eDNA samples with four universal primer pairs (two primers in COI and two in the 18S rRNA).Results: Daily variations were highly dynamic and less structured, likely due to the stochastic nature of estuarine ecosystems, but there was a clear annual consistency in eDNA communities with a high proportion of shared taxa between years. However, monthly sampling was the most efficient for capturing holistic biodiversity.Discussion: We provide recommendations for optimal eDNA metabarcoding sampling design based on our observations. The study underscores the importance of understanding biological and physical factors altering eDNA detection to improve the efficiency of detecting and interpreting long-term eDNA changes.

    Keywords: Arctic, eDNA metabarcoding, temporal sampling strategies, eDNA annual recurrence, eDNA monthly biodiversity, eDNA daily variation, Estuarine ecosystem

    Received: 04 Nov 2024; Accepted: 07 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Sevellec, Lacoursière-Roussel, normandeau, Bernatchez and Howland. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Maelle Sevellec, Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Winnipeg, R3T 2N6, Manitoba, Canada

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.