Author(s): Ruijiao Li; Huan Lin; Yangxiao Liu; Gen Yang; Wei Yang; Zhengbo Shu; Li Wang
Linked Author(s): Wei Yang
Keywords: No keywords
Abstract: In recent years, environmental DNA metabarcoding (eDNA metabarcoding) has been widely utilized in fish diversity assessments due to its cost-effective and non-invasive strategies with increased sensitivity. Environmental DNA (eDNA) refers to DNA fragments that organisms leave behind in their surrounding environment (such as soil, sediment and water). eDNA technology sequences these DNA fragments and can provide information on aquatic species. As a novel method for surveying aquatic organisms, eDNA techniques have been widely used in biodiversity assessments of aquatic organisms, including investigating the fish diversity and species distribution patterns of species. To investigate species diversity and community patterns of freshwater fish and explore new methods for monitoring and protecting fish diversity in the upper reaches of Yangtze River. This study first used eDNA metabarcoding to detect fish diversity in the Upper Reaches of Yangtze River. This study used a standardized process of eDNA metabarcoding analysis, including water collection, water filtration, eDNA extraction, genetic marker amplification, sequencing and bioinformatic analyses. A total of 65 fish species were detected from 46 sampling sites. Although eDNA metabarcoding cannot completely replace traditional methods, it can be used as a supplementary tool to efficiently assess and monitor fish diversity and species distribution patterns in Yangtze River. The various indexes of Alpha diversity of fish at various points are relatively uniform, indicating that the ecological structure of fish in the reserve is relatively balanced and stable. In summary, this study showed that although environmental DNA metabarcoding cannot completely replace traditional fish resource monitoring methods, it is a good strategy to combine them to quickly investigate the diversity composition and distribution of fish species in the Upper Reaches of Yangtze River.
Year: 2022