Using grass inflorescence as source material for biomonitoring through environmental DNA metabarcoding

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Molecular Ecology
• Environmental DNA (eDNA) research

Background:

• Environmental DNA (eDNA) from plant surfaces is increasingly used in ecological research.
• Plant-derived eDNA aids studies on biodiversity, invasive species, and pollination.
• This study explores grass inflorescences as a novel eDNA source for invertebrate detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess grass inflorescences as a viable source of environmental DNA (eDNA).
• To detect invertebrate taxa associated with common grass species using eDNA.
• To investigate potential biases in eDNA detection from grass inflorescences.

Main Methods:

• Collected grass inflorescences from four species in a South African grassland.
• Utilized high-throughput sequencing with universal COI primers.
• Analyzed Metazoan diversity and fungal taxa (Ascomycota, Basidiomycota).

Main Results:

• Detected three Arthropoda orders within the grass inflorescence eDNA.
• Most operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified as fungal taxa.
• Observed biases in relative read abundance (RRA) were noted.

Conclusions:

• Biases may stem from sample contamination or primer specificity.
• The study provides initial insights into invertebrate communities on grass species.
• Recommendations for improving future eDNA studies include negative controls and blanks.