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Couton M, Studer A, Hürlemann S, Locher N, Knüsel M, Alther R, Altermatt F. Integrating citizen science and environmental DNA metabarcoding to study biodiversity of groundwater amphipods in Switzerland. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18097. [PMID: 37872363 PMCID: PMC10593815 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44908-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Groundwater is the physically largest freshwater ecosystem, yet one of the least explored habitats on earth, both because of accessing difficulties and the scarcity of the organisms inhabiting it. Here, we demonstrate how a two-fold approach provides complementary information on the occurrence and diversity of groundwater amphipods. Firstly, we used a citizen science approach in collaboration with municipal water providers who sampled groundwater organisms in their spring catchment boxes over multiple weeks, followed by DNA barcoding. Secondly, we collected four 10 L water samples at each site, in one sampling event, for environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding. We found that citizen science was very effective in describing the distribution and abundance of groundwater amphipods. Although the single time-point of eDNA sampling did not detect as many amphipods, it allowed the assessment of the entire groundwater community, including microorganisms. By combining both methods, we found different amphipod species co-occurring with distinct sequences from the eDNA-metabarcoding dataset, representing mainly micro-eukaryotic species. We also found a distinct correlation between the diversity of amphipods and the overall biodiversity of groundwater organisms detected by eDNA at each site. We thus suggest that these approaches can be used to get a better understanding of subterranean biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie Couton
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
| | - Angela Studer
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Samuel Hürlemann
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Nadine Locher
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Mara Knüsel
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Roman Alther
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Florian Altermatt
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland.
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Godunko RJ, Alba-Tercedor J, Grabowski M, Rewicz T, Staniczek AH. Cenozoic origins of the genus Calliarcys (Insecta, Ephemeroptera) revealed by Micro-CT, with DNA barcode gap analysis of Leptophlebiinae and Habrophlebiinae. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15228. [PMID: 36075938 PMCID: PMC9458648 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18234-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) are among the oldest pterygote insects, with the earliest fossils dating back to the Late Carboniferous. Within mayflies, Leptophlebiidae are a highly diverse and widespread group, with approximately 140 genera and 640 species. Whereas taxonomy, systematics, and phylogeny of extant Leptophlebiidae are in the focus of extensive studies, little is known about leptophlebiid fossil taxa. Because fossil remains of Ephemeroptera in sedimentary rocks are relatively rare, inclusions of mayflies in amber are a unique source of information on their evolution and diversity in the past. Leptophlebiidae found in Cenozoic resins mostly belong to the subfamilies Leptophlebiinae (in Eocene Baltic amber) and Atalophlebiinae (in Miocene Dominican and Mexican ambers). In the present contribution, we confirm the first finding of the genus Calliarcys from Eocene Baltic amber by using Micro-CT, which allowed confirming its generic placement by visualizing diagnostic key characters otherwise hidden by a cloud of turbidity. Additionally, we present first molecular data on the extant species Calliarcys humilis Eaton, 1881 from the Iberian Peninsula and the barcode gap analysis for Leptophlebiinae and Habrophlebiinae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman J Godunko
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branišovská 31, 37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic. .,Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, University of Łódź, Banacha 12/16, 90237, Łódź, Poland. .,State Museum of Natural History, NAS Ukraine, Teatralna 18, Lviv, 79008, Ukraine.
| | - Javier Alba-Tercedor
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Avenida de Fuente Nueva s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain
| | - Michal Grabowski
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, University of Łódź, Banacha 12/16, 90237, Łódź, Poland
| | - Tomasz Rewicz
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, University of Łódź, Banacha 12/16, 90237, Łódź, Poland
| | - Arnold H Staniczek
- Department of Entomology, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, 70191, Stuttgart, Germany
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