Biodiversity Data Journal :
Data Paper (Biosciences)
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Corresponding author: Rachel Haderlé (rachel.haderle@mnhn.fr)
Academic editor: Panakkool Thamban Aneesh
Received: 13 Apr 2024 | Accepted: 19 Jun 2024 | Published: 21 Jun 2024
© 2024 Rachel Haderlé, Laurent Bouveret, Jordane Chazal, Justine Girardet, Samuel Iglésias, Pascal-Jean Lopez, Cédric Millon, Alice Valentini, Visotheary Ung, Jean-Luc Jung
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Haderlé R, Bouveret L, Chazal J, Girardet J, Iglésias S, Lopez P-J, Millon C, Valentini A, Ung V, Jung J-L (2024) eDNA-based survey of the marine vertebrate biodiversity off the west coast of Guadeloupe (French West Indies). Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e125348. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.12.e125348
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In the marine environment, knowledge of biodiversity remains incomplete for many taxa, requiring assessments to understand and monitor biodiversity loss. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a powerful tool for monitoring marine biodiversity, as it enables several taxa to be characterised simultaneously in a single sample. However, the data generated by environmental DNA metabarcoding are often not easily reusable. Implementing FAIR principles and standards for eDNA-derived data can facilitate data-sharing within the scientific community.
This study focuses on the detection of marine vertebrate biodiversity using eDNA metabarcoding on the leeward coast of Guadeloupe, a known hotspot for marine biodiversity in the French West Indies. Occurrences and DNA-derived data are shared here using DarwinCore standards combined with MIMARKS standards.
environmental-DNA, marine mammals, fish, West Indies, 12S mitochondrial ribosomal RNA, metabarcoding, temporal variations
In the marine realm, knowledge about biodiversity is still scarce, incomplete and concerns all taxa (
eDNA refers to DNA extracted from an environmental sample without prior isolation of organisms (
The records generated by eDNA metabarcoding constitute rich and complex biodiversity information. Nevertheless, most of these records are not available yet on open-science databases. Data are stored in several formats on different highly-specialised databases (or, worse, on personal computers), which confounds their re-use (
We have designed a study of the marine vertebrate biodiversity as reflected by eDNA metabarcoding targetted in an area of rich biodiversity, the leeward coast of Guadeloupe. The French West Indies, located in the Caribbean Sea, are a known hotspot for marine biodiversity (
The project consisted in collecting and analysing eDNA samples using, on consecutive days, the same protocol on the same transect along the west coast of Guadeloupe. Twelve samples were collected. Two sampling phases were carried out: one in 2021 over four consecutive days, the other in 2022 over two consecutive days. eDNA contained in the samples was analysed by metabarcoding using vertebrate–specific primers (
The project resulted in a local taxonomic inventory of marine vertebrates based on eDNA. Comparison amongst samples provided an overview of the short and middle term temporal variations in taxonomic composition at a single sampling point, as captured by our eDNA sampling and analysis protocols.
Data were collected during a dedicated campaign to study eDNA in the French Caribbean Archipelago of Guadeloupe, organised and financed by the UMR ISYEB and the Labex DRIIHM and benefitting from collaboration with the NGO OMMAG (Observatoire des Mammifères Marins de l’Archipel Guadeloupéen - Guadeloupe Archipelago Marine Mammal Observatory) for at-sea campaigns.
Seawater samples were obtained using a protocol previously developed for freshwater samples (
Data were checked for errors: 10% of MOTUs were randomly selected and checked by two different persons, the taxonomic assignment was repeated and the number of reads per sample was confirmed. No errors were detected.
DNA extraction and amplification were performed by a dedicated DNA laboratory (SPYGEN, http://www.spygen.com). PCR amplification was performed using a universal vertebrate 12S mitochondrial rDNA primer pair Vert01 (TAGAACAGGCTCCTCTAG and TTAGATACCCCACTATGC,
Each MOTU was associated with a number of reads per sample. MOTUs were named using the following nomenclature: Gua_Boui_V_Year_n°MOTU; with Gua for Guadeloupe, Boui, a 4-letter code for "Bouillante" (area located on the shore the closest to the transect), V for the primer used, in this case, specific to vertebrates, the sampling year (2021 or 2022) and a number corresponding to the order of appearance of the MOTU in the overall list. The taxonomic assignment of each MOTU was meticulously checked by hand.
To compare the taxonomic resolution and the detection powers of different primers, two samples SPY210556 and SPY204197, respectively collected on the 06/06/2021 and the 06/09/2021, were also analysed with a pair of primers specific to teleosts, Tele01 (ACACCGCCCGTCACTCT, CTTCCGGTACTACCATG,
The Guadeloupe Islands are located in the Caribbean Sea, at the heart of the Agoa Sanctuary, a large marine protected area (over 143,000 km²) corresponding to the entire French Exclusive Economic Zone of the French West Indies and dedicated to the protection and conservation of marine mammals.
The sampling area is located on the west coast of Guadeloupe Island on the Caribbean Seaside, the leeward coast, off the commune of Bouillante in Basse Terre. The sampling transect was approximately 5 km long (Fig.
Universal primers for vertebrates were used. Some samples were also analysed using primers specific to teleosts, mammals and cetaceans. All the different taxa detected according to the primer pairs used are summarised in Table 1. All the different taxa detected according to the primer pairs used are summarised in Table
List of the different taxa detected by the different pairs of primers, ordered by class and family.
Vert01 | ||
Class | Family | Taxon |
Actinopterygii | - | Scombriformes |
Actinopterygii | Anoplogastridae | Anoplogaster sp. |
Actinopterygii | Balistidae | Canthidermis maculata |
Actinopterygii | Bathyclupeidae | Neobathyclupea argentea |
Actinopterygii | Belonidae | Ablennes hians |
Actinopterygii | Belonidae | Platybelone argalus |
Actinopterygii | Belonidae | Tylosurus sp. |
Actinopterygii | Bramidae | Brama sp. |
Actinopterygii | Carangidae | Carangidae |
Actinopterygii | Carangidae | Caranx sp. |
Actinopterygii | Carangidae | Decapterus punctatus |
Actinopterygii | Carangidae | Decapterus tabl |
Actinopterygii | Chaetodontidae | Chaetodontidae |
Actinopterygii | Chiasmodontidae | Chiasmodontidae |
Actinopterygii | Clupeidae | Harengula sp. |
Actinopterygii | Coryphaenidae | Coryphaena sp. |
Actinopterygii | Epinephelidae | Epinephelus guttatus |
Actinopterygii | Evermannellidae | Coccorella atlantica |
Actinopterygii | Exocoetidae | Exocoetidae |
Actinopterygii | Exocoetidae | Parexocoetus sp. |
Actinopterygii | Gempylidae | Diplospinus multistriatus |
Actinopterygii | Gempylidae | Gempylus serpens |
Actinopterygii | Grammistidae | Pseudogramma gregoryi |
Actinopterygii | Hemiramphidae | Hemiramphidae |
Actinopterygii | Istiophoridae | Istiophoridae |
Actinopterygii | Labridae | Thalassoma bifasciatum |
Actinopterygii | Lutjanidae | Lutjanidae |
Actinopterygii | Lutjanidae | Lutjanus sp. |
Actinopterygii | Monacanthidae | Cantherhines pullus |
Actinopterygii | Monacanthidae | Cantherhines sp. |
Actinopterygii | Mullidae | Mulloidichthys martinicus |
Actinopterygii | Mullidae | Pseudupeneus maculatus |
Actinopterygii | Myctophidae | Bolinichthys sp. |
Actinopterygii | Myctophidae | Ceratoscopelus sp. |
Actinopterygii | Myctophidae | Diaphus sp. |
Actinopterygii | Myctophidae | Lampadena luminosa |
Actinopterygii | Myctophidae | Lampanyctus sp. |
Actinopterygii | Myctophidae | Myctophum sp. |
Actinopterygii | Neoscopelidae | Neoscopelus macrolepidotus |
Actinopterygii | Nomeidae | Cubiceps baxteri |
Actinopterygii | Ophidiidae | Lepophidium sp. |
Actinopterygii | Pomacanthidae | Centropyge sp. |
Actinopterygii | Pomacentridae | Abudefduf saxatilis |
Actinopterygii | Pomacentridae | Azurina cyanea |
Actinopterygii | Pomacentridae | Stegastes partitus |
Actinopterygii | Pomacentridae | Stegastes sp. |
Actinopterygii | Scombridae | Scombridae |
Actinopterygii | Scombridae | Scombrinae |
Actinopterygii | Scopelarchidae | Scopelarchoides danae |
Actinopterygii | Scorpaenidae | Pterois volitans |
Actinopterygii | Sphyraenidae | Sphyraena barracuda |
Actinopterygii | Stomiidae | Stomias sp. |
Actinopterygii | Stomiidae | Stomiidae |
Aves | Procellariidae | Ardenna sp. |
Aves | Sulidae | Sula sp. |
Mammalia | Delphinidae | Delphinidae |
Mammalia | Delphinidae | Delphininae |
Tele01 | ||
Class | Family | Taxon |
Actinopterygii | Acanthuridae | Acanthurus coeruleus |
Actinopterygii | Bramidae | Brama sp. |
Actinopterygii | Carangidae | Caranx crysos |
Actinopterygii | Carangidae | Caranx sp. |
Actinopterygii | Carangidae | Decapterus punctatus |
Actinopterygii | Evermannellidae | Coccorella atlantica |
Actinopterygii | Exocoetidae | Cheilopogon sp. |
Actinopterygii | Exocoetidae | Exocoetidae |
Actinopterygii | Exocoetidae | Parexocoetus sp. |
Actinopterygii | Hemiramphidae | Euleptorhamphus sp. |
Actinopterygii | Hemiramphidae | Hemiramphidae |
Actinopterygii | Hemiramphidae | Oxyporhamphus sp. |
Actinopterygii | Istiophoridae | Istiophoridae |
Actinopterygii | Labridae | Xyrichtys martinicensis |
Actinopterygii | Myctophidae | Diaphus sp. |
Actinopterygii | Myctophidae | Lampanyctus sp. |
Actinopterygii | Nomeidae | Cubiceps sp. |
Actinopterygii | Pomacentridae | Azurina multilineata |
Actinopterygii | Scombridae | Auxis sp. |
Actinopterygii | Scombridae | Euthynnus alletteratus |
Actinopterygii | Stomiidae | Astronesthes sp. |
Mamm01 | ||
Class | Family | Taxon |
Mammalia | Delphinidae | Delphinidae |
Mammalia | Delphinidae | Delphininae |
Mammalia | Delphinidae | Lagenodelphis hosei |
Mammalia | Delphinidae | Peponocephala electra |
Mammalia | Delphinidae | Stenella attenuata |
Cetacean-specific | ||
Class | Family | Taxon |
Mammalia | Delphinidae | Delphininae |
Two sampling phases were carried out: one in 2021 on four consecutive days (from 06-06-2021 to 09-06-2021), the other in 2022 on two consecutive days (10-02-2022 and 11-02-2022).
Data are shared under a CC-BY 4.0 licence.
This dataset contains information on each occurrence, i.e. each detection of a specific taxon in a given sample. The data includes information about the sample and the taxonomy associated with the occurrence.
Column label | Column description |
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occurrenceID | Unique identifier of the observation, named with identificationID_eventDate_eventID. |
identificationID | MOTU's unique identifier (Gua_Boui_initial of the primer used_number of the MOTU). |
eventDate | Sampling date (year-month-day format). |
eventID | Unique identifier of the sample (SPYxxxxx). |
occurrenceStatus | Statement on presence or absence, in this case "presence". |
basisOfRecord | Specific nature of the data record, in this case "MaterialSample". |
scientificName | Scientific name of the taxon assigned to the MOTU (this does not have to be a species, it can be any taxonomic rank) according to WoRMS taxonomy. |
scientificNameID | WoRMS LSID (Life Science Identifier) of the taxon precised in scientificName. |
decimalLatitude | Longitude of the midpoint of the transect in decimal degrees (EPSG:4326). |
decimalLongitude | Latitude of the mid-point of the transect in decimal degrees (EPSG:4326). |
footprintWKT | Transect coordinates (determined using the OBIS maptool tool). |
eventRemarks | Any comments on sampling, here "port" or "starboard". |
samplingEffort | Amount of effort expended during sampling, in this case "30 minutes at 5 knots". |
organismQuantity | Number of reads for the MOTU in this sample. |
organismQuantityType | Type of quantification system used for the MOTU, in this case "DNA sequence reads". |
sampleSizeValue | Total number of reads contained in the sample. |
sampleSizeUnit | Unit of measurement for the sample size, in this case "DNA sequence reads". |
samplingProtocol | Description of the method used, in this case "continuous surface filtration". |
identificationReferences | Reference to the bioinformatics pipeline used, in this case "OBITOOLS (Boyer et al. 2016)". |
taxonRank | Taxonomic rank of the taxon assigned to the MOTU. |
kingdom | Kingdom assigned. |
phylum | Phylum assigned. |
class | Class assigned. |
order | Order assigned. |
family | Family assigned (eventually). |
genus | Genus assigned (eventually). |
specificEpithet | Species assigned (eventually). |
identificationRemarks | List of possible taxa. |
This dataset contains information on each occurrence, i.e. each detection of a specific taxon in a given sample. The data includes the DNA sequences associated with each occurrence as well as information on amplification, sequencing and bioinformatics analysis.
Column label | Column description |
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occurrenceID | Unique identifier of the observation, named with identificationID_eventDate_eventID. |
DNA_sequence | The MOTU sequence. |
target_gene | Gene where the targetted barcode is located, in this case mitochondrial "12S". |
pcr_primer_forward | Sequence of the forward PCR primer used to amplify the targetted barcode sequence. |
pcr_primer_reverse | Sequence of the reverse PCR primer used to amplify the targetted barcode sequence. |
pcr_primer_name_forward | Name of PCR forward primer used to amplify the targetted barcode sequence. |
pcr_primer_reference | Reference of PCR forward primer used to amplify the targetted barcode sequence. |
env_broad_scale | Main type of environment where the sample was collected (using The Environment Ontology), in this case the "marine biome (ENVO:00000447)". |
lib_layout | Nature of reads, in this case "paired". |
seq_meth | Sequencing method/platform used. |
otu_db | Reference database used for MOTU taxonomic assignment. |
Taking into account the results obtained with vertebrates-specific primer pairs and homogenising the data from 2021 and 2022, a total of 77 different MOTUs were detected. Amongst them, 66 were identified as actinopterygians, nine as mammals and two as birds. No eDNA corresponding to another class of vertebrate was detected, including elasmobranchs. On the basis of the species lists obtained, no new taxa were identified in the geographical area. However, this conclusion must be qualified because not all MOTUs were assigned to species level, which may be explained by interspecific similarities or pre-existing gaps in the reference databases. More than 300 species of fishes have already been recorded on Guadeloupe's coasts (
In order to refine the detection of actinopterygians, we have grouped them into different ecological categories (deep-sea fishes, pelagic fishes and reef-associated fishes) according to their habitat (information extracted from Fishbase,
In addition, a significant proportion (23%) of taxa corresponding to deep-sea fishes was also detected, for instance, Diplospinus multistriatus, Lampadena luminosa and Coccorella atlantica. This is certainly due to their diurnal vertical migration. In fact, many deep-sea fishes move towards the upper water layers to feed at night and towards the deeper layers to avoid predation during the day (
Reef-associated fishes represented the third ecological class of fish taxa detected during this study. The sampling area was located at around 4 km from the shore and above a deep drop-off and did not represent a possible habitat for reef fishes. The reef fishes taxonomic richness varied greatly from one sample to another (i.e. from 10 taxa detected the 02/10/2022 to no taxa detected the following day). It may be hypothesised that these detections corresponded to the larval or egg phases of these reef-associated species. Similar results have been obtained between Florida and Cuba by
Some samples were analysed with other primer pairs. For fishes, teleost primers (
For mammals, in general, more specific primers detected more taxa than more generalist vertebrate primers. Only mammal-specific primers perfomed an identification down to the species level: Peponocephala electra was detected on 06/06/2021, Lagenodelphis hosei and Stenella attenuata on 06/06/2021, 06/07/2021 and 06/09/2021. These specific detections can be compared with observation data from whale watchers operating in the study area. A priori, for Stenella attenuata and Lagenodelphis hosei, detections corresponded to sighting data (source: OMMAG). As for Peponocephala electra, this species is rarely observed in Guadeloupe: a priori, only 14 verified sightings in 10 years of outings (
We would like to thank the Labex DRIIHM; the French programme ″Investissements d’Avenir″ (ANR-11-LABX-0010), which is managed by the ANR. We express our gratitude to Sophie Bedel and to the Guadeloupe National Park for the 9 June 2021 transect, made aboard the Park's ship. We would like to thank the BiCIKL project, grant no. 101007492, which enabled the publication of this datapaper.