The use of metabarcoding for meiofauna ecological patterns assessment

Author(s)

de Faria, Laiza Cabral ^[1] ; Di Domenico, Maikon ^[1] ; Andrade, Sonia C. S. ^[2] ; dos Santos, Monique Cristina ^[3] ; Fonseca, Gustavo ^[4] ; Zanol, Joana ^{[3, 5]} ; Amaral, A. Cecilia Z. ^[6]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Parana, Ctr Estudos Mar, Av Beira Mar S-N, POB 61, BR-83255976 Pontal Do Parana, PR - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Genet & Biol Evolut, Cidade Univ, Rua Matao 277, BR-05508090 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Rio de Janeiro, Dept Zool, Av Carlos Chagas Filho, 373 CCS, Bloco A, BR-21941599 Rio De Janeiro, RJ - Brazil

^[4] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Inst Mar, Rua Carvalho de Mendonca 144, BR-11070100 Santos, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Fed Rio de Janeiro, Campus Duque de Coxias, Estr Xerem 27, Duque De Caxias, RJ - Brazil

^[6] Univ Estadual Campinas, Dept Biol Anim, Cidade Univ, Rua Monteiro Lobato 255, BR-13083862 Campinas, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH; v. 140, p. 160-168, SEP 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 2

Abstract

Marine meiofauna comprises up to 22 phyla. Its morphological identification requires time and taxonomists' expertise, and molecular tools can make this task faster. We aim to disentangle meiofaunal diversity patterns at Araca Bay by applying a model selection approach and estimating the effectiveness of metabarcoding (18S rDNA) and morphological methods for estimating the response of meiofauna diversity in small-scale interactions with environmental variables. A rarefaction curve indicated that ten samples were sufficient for estimating the total number of meiofauna OTUs in a tidal flat. In both approaches, richness was predicted by mean sand percentage, sediment sorting, and bacteria concentration. Nematode genera composition differed significantly between approaches, the result of taxonomic mismatch in the genetic database. The similarity between the model selected for diversity descriptors, the richness of nematode genera and meiofauna composition emphasized the utility of predictive models for metabarcoding estimates to detect small-scale interactions of these organisms. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/21289-3 - Taxonomy and diversity of marine meiofauna
• Grantee: Gustavo Fernandes Camargo Fonseca
• Support Opportunities: Organization Grants - Scientific Meeting
• FAPESP's process: 11/50317-5 - Biodiversity and functioning of a subtropical coastal ecosystem: a contribution to integrated management
• Grantee: Antonia Cecília Zacagnini Amaral
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 12/08581-0 - INTERSTITIAL ANNELIDS: SISTEMATIC AND PHYLOGENY OF NEGLECTED FAUNA
• Grantee: Maikon Di Domenico
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral