Ms Lara Denis-Roy1,2, Dr Katrina West2, Dr Bruce Deagle2, Dr Priscila Goncalves3, Mr Yann Herrera Fuchs1, Mr Tyson Jones1, Mr Matthew Rose1, Ms Olivia Johnson1, Ms Laura Missen3, Ms Marcelle Ayad3, Prof Craig Johnson1, Prof Graham Edgar1
1Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, Hobart, Australia, 2Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Hobart, Australia, 3Ocean Omics Centre, Minderoo Foundation, UWA, Perth, Australia
Biography:
Lara Denis-Roy is a marine scientist currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Tasmania's Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS). Her research, which focuses on using environmental DNA (eDNA) to unravel the diversity and complexity of reefs, is supported by her training in scientific diving which allows her to conduct in-depth fieldwork, directly studying the rich biodiversity of reefs.
Lara holds an Erasmus Mundus Joint master’s degree in marine Environment and Resources, having studied at multiple European universities, including Southampton, the Basque Country, Liège, and Bordeaux.
Her work has been recognized through various grants, such as the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment and the CSIRO top-up scholarship and funding from Minderoo Ocean Omics, which have collectively facilitated her reef-related fieldwork, eDNA research, and laboratory training. Lara has presented her findings at international conferences like YOUMARES2019, AMSA2019, and ITRS2023, and her research has been published in respected journals including the Marine Pollution Bulletin. With a robust background in ecology, biology, and scientific diving, Lara is dedicated to advancing our understanding of marine ecosystems and contributing to their conservation.
Abstract:
Biodiversity is declining on a global scale and monitoring efforts that inform better management can benefit from the use of environmental DNA (eDNA). This developing method boasts several advantages for rapid marine biodiversity assessment but requires further standardization and validation at a continental scale for macro-organisms’ biomonitoring.
The present study aims to compare the use of eDNA against visual surveys in studying reefs and to determine the value of its application to assess ecological change in reef ecosystems at the scale of the Australian continent. It analyses reef communities through two metabarcoding assays (16S Fish and COI Leray) as well as underwater visual surveys (UVS) following the Reef Life Survey method. Water sampling and UVS were done synchronously across six Australian states, both during the day and at night. The sensitivity of eDNA is measured against the ‘conventional’ UVS method for biomonitoring, in terms of taxonomic composition and species detectability at a local and continental scale, including for rare and threatened species. The surveys identified 1096 species using eDNA and 789 species for UVC, post-curation. Additionally, the study investigates how diel changes affect understanding of marine communities using eDNA and UVS, including the detection of nocturnal species.