Metabarcoding arthropods in agroecosystems in Southern Ontario, Canada

Area of Science:

• Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis
• Biodiversity assessment
• Agricultural ecology

Background:

• Metabarcoding offers a low-cost method for generating georeferenced occurrence data from bulk samples.
• Standardized methods and example datasets are lacking for integrating metabarcoding into agricultural invertebrate biomonitoring.
• Identifying challenges and uncertainties in metabarcoding application is crucial for its practical use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compile and analyze one of the largest available metabarcoding datasets for terrestrial arthropods.
• To investigate the influence of agricultural practices on arthropod biodiversity.
• To establish a foundation for standardized metabarcoding methods in biomonitoring.

Main Methods:

• Collected terrestrial arthropod samples using Malaise traps across southern Ontario.
• Utilized metabarcoding to analyze DNA from bulk samples.
• Compared biodiversity data across a gradient of agricultural land use intensity and natural restoration.

Main Results:

• Generated a comprehensive dataset of terrestrial arthropod occurrences linked to agricultural landscapes.
• Demonstrated significant variations in arthropod biodiversity correlated with farming intensity and land use.
• Provided empirical data to identify potential challenges in metabarcoding data interpretation.

Conclusions:

• Metabarcoding is a powerful tool for generating large-scale biodiversity data in agricultural settings.
• Agricultural practices demonstrably shape terrestrial arthropod communities.
• Further research is needed to standardize methods and address uncertainties in metabarcoding for biomonitoring.