"Shrimps" discovered in the nation’s forests - Forestry England
eDNA metabarcoding analysis will plot ecosystem recovery as part of new biodiversity plan
Forestry England has revealed some amazing results from DNA metabarcoding analysis in a recent collaboration with Forest Research, part-funded by Defra. The analysis was applied to soil samples (eDNA) as well as forest canopy and subcanopy arthropod samples from the nation’s forests in North Yorkshire.
Compared to traditional wildlife surveys, the results are vast, quick and low-cost, considering the species information returned.
The soil samples detected more than 2,400 fungal sequences (of which 450 could be matched with a high degree of confidence to reference library sequences at the species level) and more than 200 species of invertebrates including the shrimp-like copepod Bryocamptus pygmaeus. The traps in the canopies and in shrub layers identified over 300 different arthropods.
Forestry England believe they are starting an exciting programme of free data-sharing. Academics and researchers will be able to help everyone understand the detailed DNA samples from some conservation projects in the nation’s forests and how they change as the climate changes and Forestry England improve their resilient forest management techniques.
Dr Andrew Stringer, Head of Environment for Forestry England explained: “It's mind-blowing. The volume of data means we are no longer looking at a handful of "indicator species", such as birds and butterflies, to understand woodland biodiversity, but whole communities. This means we could begin to robustly monitor entire woodland ecosystems. It feels a bit like looking through a microscope for the first time to a whole new world of detail. We know that at some point, 56 per cent of England’s priority species have been found in the nation’s forests. But we can’t say for sure if those records are still valid and the species are still there. Monitoring is critical but whole-community and direct-species monitoring has historically been too expensive. Now, emerging DNA metabarcoding technologies combined with eDNA sampling mean we can rapidly assess levels of biodiversity and measure trends. The fact we have found shrimp-like invertebrates in wet woodlands is not that surprising when you stop and think about it, but it demonstrates the power and possibilities of eDNA sampling and metabarcoding. We care for more land and trees than any other organisation in England and know we have an exceptional responsibility for biodiversity conservation which is a core part of what we do. It feels like we are at the start of a new era, starting to manage for the whole woodland environment rather than a narrow, few species.”
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Posted On: 07/11/2022