Gulf of Alaska | Ecosystem Perspectives MASTER’S POSTER PRESENTATION Using eDNA metabarcoding as a cost-effective tool for monitoring the impact of climate change on the marine coastal communities of Alaska Presenter: Maris Goodwin , mrgoodwin2@alaska.edu Jessica Glass , jrglass@alaska.edu, University of Alaska Fairbanks Peter Westley , pwestley@alaska.edu, UAF Wes Larson , wes.larson@noaa.gov, NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Fisheries Science Center As global climate change continues to rapidly reshape Arctic and sub-Arctic marine ecosystems, it is important for scientists to identify tools and approaches that will rigorously quantify changes in food webs and biological communities. Genomic sequencing tools such as environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding complement traditional fisheries approaches (e.g., netting) by providing in-depth and rapid assessments of species composition. This project utilizes the capabilities and increasing affordability of eDNA technology to address this major challenge of biological monitoring: quantifying responses in nearshore biological communities caused by global climate change. As a component of the Alaska EPSCoR Fire & Ice project, we are using eDNA metabarcoding to measure nearshore community composition along five glacial gradients in two comparative regions of the Gulf of Alaska. Over 1500 eDNA samples were collected in 2021 and 2022, comprising the largest nearshore eDNA project in Alaska to-date. Our goals are to 1) compare eDNA fish biodiversity results to traditional fisheries sampling methods (beach seining), and 2) design and test passive eDNA sampling systems to cost-effectively characterize the biodiversity and phenology of nearshore fish, invertebrate, seabird and mammal communities. This project comprises the first stage of a long-term monitoring program that will use eDNA metabarcoding and citizen scientists to quantify fine-scale (i.e., daily) changes of the coastal community ecology in Alaska. We will communicate results to potential project partners in subarctic and Arctic communities with the hope they will be interested in using eDNA technology year-round to complement local and Indigenous knowledge of species occurrences (e.g., bowhead whale migrations). Results will build on existing baseline data to document changes in a region heavily impacted by climate change through heat waves, receding glaciers, and invasive species.
Alaska Marine Science Symposium 2023 154
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