Distinct coral reef habitat communities characterized by environmental DNA metabarcoding

A groundbreaking study on the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area reveals distinct coral reef habitat communities, characterized by high spatial turnover and isolation by distance. Using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding, researchers identified 401 taxa across 14 metazoan phyla, demonstrating that this method can resolve fine-scale community structure even in highly connected environments like lagoons. The findings highlight the potential of eDNA metabarcoding for rapid biodiversity monitoring, providing a baseline for assessing future changes in one of the world's most significant coral reef systems.

Dugal, L., Thomas, L., Meenakshisundaram, A., Simpson, T., Lines, R., Colquhoun, J., Jarman, S., & Meekan, M. (2022). Distinct coral reef habitat communities characterized by environmental DNA metabarcoding. Coral Reefs, 42(1), 17–30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-022-02301-3