Dr Laurence Dugal1, Dr Natasha Harrison1,2, Ms Rebekah Hortin1, Ms Kiara DeLandgrafft1,3, Dr Kristen Fernandes1
1Department Of Biodiversity, Conservation And Attractions, , Australia, 2School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, , Australia, 3School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, , Australia
Biography:
Dr Kristen Fernandes is a research scientist at the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions in Western Australia (DBCA). She manages the eDNA lab at DBCA and works to develop eDNA-based monitoring approaches to help conserve Western Australia’s unique biodiversity. She is interested in terrestrial eDNA techniques and improving the uptake of these methodologies for conservation management.
Abstract:
Invertebrate-derived DNA (iDNA) metabarcoding of gut contents from leeches, blow flies or mosquitoes has emerged as a powerful tool to characterise vertebrate communities, but there has been limited exploration of how to adapt this approach using mixed samples of arthropods. Globally, monitoring programs deploy malaise traps to target flying insect communities in a diverse set of environments. These traps often capture suitable iDNA samplers, which can be harnessed to provide information on local vertebrate species assemblages. Here, we utilised bulk arthropod samples collected via malaise traps as part of a forest monitoring program and amplified vertebrate (12S) and mammal (16S) DNA from the samples. We then compared iDNA-derived species lists to detections from camera traps deployed during the same field season. We detected 28 taxa using 12S and 20 taxa using 16S, including mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Focusing on species-level assignments, overall, we detected 17 species from 54 bulk insect samples, including 12 native fauna, two forest pests and three domesticated animals. Over 78% of forest-dwelling fauna detected by iDNA were also detected by cameras, with iDNA yielding three additional detections of small skinks. Despite capturing a much lower diversity than camera trap surveys, iDNA nonetheless showed congruence in detecting common and more cryptic fauna at a site level. By leveraging existing sample collections, this study demonstrates the utility of bulk sample iDNA for monitoring forest vertebrate fauna. This approach provides an opportunity to interrogate existing bulk insect datasets to complement other forms of fauna survey data.