Mr Harrison Carmody1,2, Mr Shane Herbert3, Dr Kat Dawkins3, Dr Michael Marnane4,6, Mr Paul de Lestang5, Mr Peter Michael5, Mr Julian Kalau5, Mr Steven Moore5, Ms Kellie Holloway5
1Bmt Commercial Australia, Osborne Park, Australia, 2University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia, 3eDNA Frontiers Laboratory, Bentley, Australia, 4Chevron Energy Technology Company, Perth, 6000, 5Chevron Australia Pty ltd, Perth, 6000, 6Curtin University, Bentley, 6000
Biography:
Harrison is a driven marine ecologist with a specific interest in ecological impacts associated with marine infrastructure (e.g. offshore wind, oil & gas, ports and harbours, marine discharges), fisheries and aquaculture, and dredging. Furthermore, Harrison has significant experience and interest in applying new monitoring techniques (such as environmental DNA) for ecological studies, using a strong ecological statistics background to assess the efficacy of these new techniques. Over his career so far, Harrison has garnered a comprehensive understanding of environmental regulations in Australia and other jurisdictions such as Scotland and United Arab Emirates, having either managed or been involved with several environmental impact assessment projects. Harrison also has significant experience in conducting and managing field projects, including both multi-day offshore and single day local surveys. With a demonstrated ability in both lab/office and field-based projects, Harrison applies effective communication, presentation and team building skills to deliver quality results.
Harrison is currently also a PhD Candidate studying at the University of Western Australia. His thesis is focusing on assessing the impacts of offshore wind infrastructure on marine ecology in an Australian context.
Abstract:
The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) as a monitoring tool for sampling the diversity of marine infauna is growing significantly. Conventional infauna monitoring requires taxonomic analyses, whereby individual specimens are identified by an expert. The accuracy of the analyses relies on the expert's ability to differentiate individual species, which can be labour-intensive, both in-field and in the laboratory. Alternatively, eDNA methods can be used to characterise whole assemblages rapidly, in-field, with reduced effort compared to conventional techniques. As such, there is significant interest in the use of eDNA methods to establish baselines or conduct impact assessments.
Uncertainties in how eDNA methods perform in sampling infauna still exist, particularly in an intertidal environment where sediment exposure varies with tidal phase, which may impact DNA dispersal and decay over various temporal scales. There are also gaps in understanding the level of replication required to adequately capture variation in infauna diversity using eDNA methods across various spatial scales. Before eDNA can be used confidently as a tool for characterising infauna diversity, these questions must be answered, particularly where data are to be relied upon for impact assessments. In this study, eDNA was collected from sediment samples in the intertidal zone in a highly replicated spatial and temporal design, at two locations in subtropical coastal habitats in Western Australia over a period of three years. The results elucidate the most suitable sampling and analysis approaches for monitoring infauna diversity using eDNA, and are relevant to industry, regulators and the broader scientific community.