Evaluation of the Environmental DNA Method for Estimating Distribution and Biomass of Submerged Aquatic Plants

• Published in: PloS one 2016-06, Vol.11 (6), p.e0156217-e0156217
• Main Authors: Matsuhashi, Saeko, Doi, Hideyuki, Fujiwara, Ayaka, Watanabe, Sonoko, Minamoto, Toshifumi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal species; Aquaculture - methods; Aquariums; Aquatic animals; Aquatic Organisms - genetics; Aquatic Organisms - growth & development; Aquatic Organisms - metabolism; Aquatic plants; Biodiversity; Biology and Life Sciences; Biomass; Climate change; Computer and Information Sciences; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Distribution records; DNA; DNA - analysis; DNA - genetics; DNA, Plant - analysis; DNA, Plant - genetics; Earth Sciences; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Ecosystem; Egeria densa; Environment; Environmental DNA; Estimation; Flowers & plants; Geographical distribution; Geography; Hydrilla verticillata; Hydrocharitaceae; Hydrocharitaceae - genetics; Hydrocharitaceae - growth & development; Hydrocharitaceae - metabolism; Japan; Methods; Monitoring; People and Places; Plant biomass; Plant Proteins - genetics; Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods; Ponds; Reproducibility of Results; Research and Analysis Methods; Shoreline protection; Visual observation
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156217

The environmental DNA (eDNA) method has increasingly been recognized as a powerful tool for monitoring aquatic animal species; however, its application for monitoring aquatic plants is limited. To evaluate eDNA analysis for estimating the distribution of aquatic plants, we compared its estimated distributions with eDNA analysis, visual observation, and past distribution records for the submerged species Hydrilla verticillata. Moreover, we conducted aquarium experiments using H. verticillata and Egeria densa and analyzed the relationships between eDNA concentrations and plant biomass to investigate the potential for biomass estimation. The occurrences estimated by eDNA analysis closely corresponded to past distribution records, and eDNA detections were more frequent than visual observations, indicating that the method is potentially more sensitive. The results of the aquarium experiments showed a positive relationship between plant biomass and eDNA concentration; however, the relationship was not always significant. The eDNA concentration peaked within three days of the start of the experiment in most cases, suggesting that plants do not release constant amounts of DNA. These results showed that eDNA analysis can be used for distribution surveys, and has the potential to estimate the biomass of aquatic plants.