Mr Harry Layfield1
1University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
Ponds are considered keystone systems for the conservation of biodiversity, supporting at least two-thirds of all native aquatic taxa in the UK, yet are often overlooked in national legislation. There has been an estimated 50% reduction in farmland ponds in the last century, owing largely to agricultural land consolidation, water pollution, and land use change. Rapid and reliable data is therefore essential to manage and protect these ecosystems. Macroinvertebrates account for a substantial proportion of freshwater biodiversity and play a critical role in ecosystem functions. They are sensitive to ecosystem change and are often used as bioindicator species in ecological assessments. The last decade has seen a rise in DNA-based ecological assessments on ecosystems, extracting genomic DNA from the environment (eDNA) such as water, sediment, and air, allowing for the successful and rapid characterisation of entire invertebrate communities.
Here we use eDNA metabarcoding to investigate the temporal pattern of macroinvertebrate community development in two field sites, each comprising of two ponds, one ecologically mature and the other recently established and an adjacent stream. Samples (n=198) were collected monthly between July 2020/21. This research should highlight the effectiveness of eDNA metabarcoding to generate long-term data and further our understanding in how pond ecosystems regenerate over time. Understanding how communities in ponds change over time is key to effective management and protection. Measurements at this temporal resolution and comparisons between streams and ponds, new and old, is novel and offers rich insight into the health and diversity of these systems.
Biography:
Harry is a final year PhD student at the University of Bristol, UK. His research is focussed on using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to quantify and assess macroinvertebrate communities in freshwater ecosystems.