eDNA in subterranean ecosystems: Applications, technical aspects, and future prospects

Saccò, Mattia; Guzik, Michelle T.; Heyde, Mieke van der; Nevill, Paul; Cooper, Steven J.; Austin, Andrew D.; Coates, Peterson; Allentoft, Morten E.; White, Nicole E.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153223

Cited by 45 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 175 publications

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“…visual census, emergence count, mark–recapture studies, trapping), the use of indirect monitoring technologies (e.g. environmental DNA, acoustic monitoring, trail cameras with infrared sensors) (Mammola et al ., 2021a; Saccò et al ., 2022), and, most recently, subterranean citizen science (Alther et al ., 2021). Monitoring was by far the most recommended intervention in our database (Figs 2E, 4C) despite its effects being indirect – a pattern that is not exclusive to subterranean conservation (Buxton et al ., 2020, 2021).…”

Section: Current Knowledge and Research Trajectories For Conservation...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards evidence‐based conservation of subterranean ecosystems

et al. 2022

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Subterranean ecosystems are among the most widespread environments on Earth, yet we still have poor knowledge of their biodiversity. To raise awareness of subterranean ecosystems, the essential services they provide, and their unique conservation challenges, 2021 and 2022 were designated International Years of Caves and Karst. As these ecosystems have traditionally been overlooked in global conservation agendas and multilateral agreements, a quantitative assessment of solution-based approaches to safeguard subterranean biota and associated habitats is timely. This assessment allows researchers and practitioners to understand the progress made and research needs in subterranean ecology and management. We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed and grey literature focused on subterranean ecosystems globally (terrestrial, freshwater, and saltwater systems), to quantify the available evidence-base for the effectiveness of conservation interventions. We selected 708 publications from the years 1964 to 2021 that discussed, recommended, or implemented 1,954 conservation interventions in subterranean ecosystems. We noted a steep increase in the number of studies from the 2000s while, surprisingly, the proportion of studies quantifying the impact of conservation interventions has steadily and significantly decreased in recent years. The effectiveness of 31% of conservation interventions has been tested statistically. We further highlight that 64% of the reported research occurred in the Palearctic and Nearctic biogeographic regions. Assessments of the effectiveness of conservation interventions were heavily biased towards indirect measures (monitoring and risk assessment), a limited sample of organisms (mostly arthropods and bats), and more accessible systems (terrestrial caves). Our results indicate that most conservation science in the field of subterranean biology does not apply a rigorous quantitative approach, resulting in sparse evidence for the effectiveness of interventions. This raises the important question of how to make conservation efforts more feasible to implement, cost-effective, and long-lasting. Although there is no single remedy, we propose a suite of potential solutions to focus our efforts better towards increasing statistical testing and stress the importance of standardising study reporting to facilitate metaanalytical exercises. We also provide a database summarising the available literature, which will help to build quantitative knowledge about interventions likely to yield the greatest impacts depending upon the subterranean species and habitats of interest. We view this as a starting point to shift away from the widespread tendency of recommending conservation interventions based on anecdotal and expert-based information rather than scientific evidence, without quantitatively testing their effectiveness.

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Section: Current Knowledge and Research Trajectories For Conservation...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards evidence‐based conservation of subterranean ecosystems

et al. 2022

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“…Groundwater ecology is a rapidly growing field of research, especially with the advent of new technologies that can provide previously inaccessible information (i.e., community composition using environmental DNA, see Saccò, Guzik, et al, 2022), functional dynamics via isotopic ecology (i.e., Saccò, Blyth, Humphreys, et al, 2019), evolutionary and behavioural research (i.e., Mammola et al, 2021 and references therein). Several studies have identified a suite of critical knowledge gaps for the study of groundwater communities broadly (Cardoso et al, 2011; Mammola et al, 2020).…”

Section: Advancing Groundwater Coastal Ecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Stygofaunal diversity and ecological sustainability of coastal groundwater ecosystems in a changing climate: The Australian paradigm

et al. 2022

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Coastal aquifers are vital water sources for humanity. Their quality and the ecosystem services they provide depend on the integrity of their subterranean biota. However, current anthropogenic impacts such as climate change effects and coastal population growth place enormous pressure on the sustainability of these environments. Despite the significance of subterranean biota to ecosystem function and the delivery of ecosystem services, stygofauna—groundwater‐dwelling aquatic animals—have until recently been largely ignored in aquifer monitoring and management. This issue is of importance in both coastal and inland zones. Common threats in inland and coastal areas are water extraction, reduced recharge caused by aridification, and pollution, while, in coastal zones, additional complications arise from sea‐level change and salt water ingress. This review examines stygofaunal diversity, impacts, and future conservation challenges in coastal aquifers. Focussing on Australia, we provide a summary of the available data on stygofaunal communities and distributions; identify and describe potential threats to these communities across the diverse coastal regions of the continent; and propose future research priorities with the goal of facilitating the long‐term preservation of these ecosystems on the Australian continent. While we focus this review on Australia, the threats and management issues discussed are relevant globally. Recent subterranean studies in Australia have been primarily undertaken in inland areas, and while coastal data exist, ecological assessment of coastal subterranean ecosystems is incomplete, compromising the efficacy of conservation plans. This review indicates that the Australian continent hosts five major coastal stygofaunal biodiversity areas characterised by heterogeneous community assemblages, involving a total of 17 taxonomic groups spanning microscopic aquatic invertebrates to vertebrates. The most relevant impacts and threats identified were aquifer size reduction, intrusion of seawater, land clearing, contamination, and mining. Given the projections of increasing coastal development and subsequent loss or degradation of habitat during coming decades, it is important to improve our limited understanding of the ecology of coastal aquifers. Future research should include the refinement of biological assessment tools for coastal systems, functional and ecotoxicological studies, and faunal surveys of urban coastal aquifers. The recommendations and guidelines outlined in this review are applicable globally and provide a further step toward the sustainable use of coastal groundwater resources and the maintenance of healthy groundwater ecosystems.

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“… Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling for accessing the diversity of underground habitat.  Ex-situ conservation  Research Environmental DNA can bring to the surface essential insights, such as the study of ecosystem assemblages and rare species detection, which are critical for the preservation of life below, as well as above, the ground [20,21].…”

Section: Conservation Strategies For Subterranean Fishesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review on Hidden Subterranean (Hypogean) Ichthyofaunal Resources of India along with IUCN Status, Threats and Its Conservation Strategies

Sahu

Singh

Kumar

et al. 2022

AJFAR

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Subterranean habitats are one of the most peculiar and mysterious ecosystems on earth, yet we still have very less information about their biodiversity. These animals often live in extremely nutrient-limited environments. Consequently, most of the subterranean fish species are relatively small in size to survive on limited food resources. We present here a systematic checklist along with IUCN conservation status and a comprehensive account of the diversity, distribution, threats and suggest conservation measures for the Indian subterranean fishes. A total of 18 species under 5 orders, 8 families and 7 genera are listed from the secondary data. According to the IUCN Red List status, nine subterranean fish fauna are listed under the Not Evaluated (50%) category, five Data Deficient (27.78%), two endangered (11.11%), and only one species come under the Critically Endangered (5.56%) and Least Concern category (5.56%). Several anthropogenic stressors including agriculture, overexploitation, deforestation, habitat disturbance, hydroelectrically plans, invasive species, human-fish conflicts, climate change, sand mining and un-ecofriendly tourism are threatening these underground fishes. Nevertheless, there have been only a few studies on subterranean fish fauna, partly because many subterranean occur in tropical regions, sometimes in caves of difficult access, where there are few local researchers. It is necessary to promote throughout society the importance and urgency of studying and conserving subterranean resources to preserve their ecosystem services.

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eDNA in subterranean ecosystems: Applications, technical aspects, and future prospects

Cited by 45 publications

References 175 publications

Towards evidence‐based conservation of subterranean ecosystems

Towards evidence‐based conservation of subterranean ecosystems

Stygofaunal diversity and ecological sustainability of coastal groundwater ecosystems in a changing climate: The Australian paradigm

A Review on Hidden Subterranean (Hypogean) Ichthyofaunal Resources of India along with IUCN Status, Threats and Its Conservation Strategies

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