Environmental DNA (eDNA) and metabarcoding approaches have drastically changed the way we currently explore Earth’s biodiversity. Currently, eDNA/metabarcoding approaches are widely used for characterizing marine biodiversity across all types of habitats (e.g., benthic, pelagic, coastal, deep sea, etc.). Particularly, for smaller metazoans (i.e., < 1 mm long), where taxonomy is often challenging and time consuming, eDNA/metabarcoding has proven to be useful and an alternative in future biodiversity surveys. Still, there are concerns associated with these methods, and the standardization of eDNA/metabarcoding for marine biodiversity studies, although previously discussed, has been difficult. For this session, we would like to invite colleagues working on marine systems to discuss eDNA/metabarcoding approaches towards metazoan biodiversity. Diverse aspects such as gene marker(s), minimal standards, wet and dry lab protocols, analytical methods, databases, sequencing technologies among others will be part of our discussion. Thus, we invite you to share your findings, challenges, thoughts, and aspirations on how the field of eDNA/metabarcoding should move forward.

 

Agenda

---

Enhancing the surveillance of marine non-indigenous species in the Red Sea using eDNA-based approaches: current status and future perspectives.

Presenter: Eva Aylagas
Affiliation: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Format: Full Talk

---

Assessing marine biodiversity through environmental DNA metabarcoding: A comparative study in British Columbia's log-handling sites.

Presenter: Jessica Schultz
Affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph
Format: Full Talk

---

DNA metabarcoding-based monitoring of marine macrozoobenthos: assessing bioremediation potential of Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquacultures (IMTA).

Presenter: M. Pilar Cabezas
Affiliation: Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA) and ARNET-Aquatic Research Network, Department of Biology, University of Minho
Format: Full Talk

---

Using PacBio long reads to characterize nematode diversity.

Presenter: Tiago Pereira
Affiliation: University of Georgia
Format: Full Talk

---

Towards standardized sampling methods for eDNA-based benthic monitoring.

Presenter: Miriam Brandt
Affiliation: NORCE
Format: Full Talk

---

Assessing marine invertebrate biodiversity in shallow and mesophotic upwelling areas in central Chile.

Presenter: Javiera Sanchez
Affiliation: Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile 
Format: Full Talk

---

Marine microbial community assembly: insights from DNA metabarcoding.

Presenter: Diana Carolina Duque-Castaño
Affiliation: Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo
Format: Lightning Talk

---