Dr Georgia Nester1,2, Marcelle Ayad1, Laura Missen3, Adam J. Bennett1, Professor Heather Stewart2,4, Dr Jessica Kolbusz2, OceanOmics Division1, Professor Alan Jamieson2
1The Minderoo Foundation – OceanOmics Division, Perth, Australia, 2Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre, Perth, Australia, 3Minderoo OceanOmics Centre at UWA, Perth, Australia, 4British Geological Survey, EH14 4AP, United Kingdom
Biography:
Dr Georgia Nester is a deep-sea postdoctoral researcher within the OceanOmics division of the Minderoo Foundation. Her work uses eDNA to characterize biodiversity and monitor species in complex marine habitats. In her current role, she is interested in expanding the footprint of eDNA in the deep-sea and exploring novel methodologies and sequencing technologies.
Abstract:
Deep-sea ecosystems host highly diverse habitats, yet challenges in comprehensively surveying these environments have led to fragmented global biodiversity data and a limited understanding of ecological connectivity and biodiversity drivers. To address these challenges, our research program uses environmental DNA (eDNA) to characterise biodiversity across deep-sea environments (particularly hadal depths), and advance eDNA applications through novel sequencing technologies. To date, we have collected eDNA from diverse locations, including Christmas Island, Tonga Trench, Nova-Canton Trough, and South Orkney Trench.
This presentation discusses eDNA metabarcoding results from transects across the Pacific Ocean’s extensive abyssal plain. While deep-sea data is rich along the Pacific Rim, significant gaps exist in connecting these datasets across the vast intermediate waters, limiting our understanding of biodiversity patterns. To address this, we conducted eDNA surveys across two transects from Ensenada (Mexico) to Honolulu (Hawaii) to Papeete (Tahiti) aboard the RV Dagon. We visited 13 sites between November 2023 and January 2024, deploying 42 landers at depths between 4,289 and 5,666 meters. A total of 328 samples were collected actively (niskins) and passively (filter papers and polyurethane foam).
We applied 16S Fish, MiFish, and COI Leray metabarcoding assays. Preliminary findings reveal a diverse range of charismatic taxa, including Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris), cusk eels (Bassozetus, Lamprogrammus brunswigi, Holcomycteronus brucei), snailfish (Liparidae), and deep-sea cucumbers (Peniagone). This presentation will explore the interconnectedness of abyssal plain biodiversity, showcase novel methodologies, identify gaps in deep-sea reference databases, and outline forward-thinking strategies to enhance eDNA research in the deep sea.