Integrating DNA metabarcoding and morphological analysis improves marine zooplankton biodiversity assessment
Abstract Marine copepod communities play crucial roles in ocean ecosystems. However, their accurate assessment remains challenging due to taxonomic complexities. This study combines morphological and DNA metabarcoding approaches to evaluate copepod diversity and community structure in the northern E...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-89684-9 |
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| author | So-yeon Kim Seongmin Cheon Chungoo Park Ho Young Soh |
| author_facet | So-yeon Kim Seongmin Cheon Chungoo Park Ho Young Soh |
| author_sort | So-yeon Kim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Marine copepod communities play crucial roles in ocean ecosystems. However, their accurate assessment remains challenging due to taxonomic complexities. This study combines morphological and DNA metabarcoding approaches to evaluate copepod diversity and community structure in the northern East China Sea. Zooplankton samples were collected from 10 stations along a coastal-offshore gradient in August 2019. Morphological analysis identified 34 species from 25 genera, while DNA metabarcoding detected 31 species from 20 genera. Both methods revealed distinct coastal and offshore assemblages, with Paracalanus parvus s.l. as the dominant species across all stations. A significant positive correlation was found between morphology-based individual counts and metabarcoding sequence reads (Spearman’s Rho = 0.58, p < 0.001), improving at the genus level (Rho = 0.70, p < 0.001). Redundancy analysis revealed that salinity, temperature, and phytoplankton density significantly influenced copepod distribution. Although both approaches captured similar broad-scale patterns, they provided complementary insights into community structure. Morphological identification was more effective for detecting Cyclopoida diversity, whereas DNA metabarcoding had greater sensitivity for specific Calanoid species. This study underscores the value of integrating traditional and molecular methods for marine biodiversity assessment, especially in the context of global environmental changes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e44084496a3b43cb965bafc9b9493806 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-e44084496a3b43cb965bafc9b94938062025-08-20T03:04:20ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-03-0115111310.1038/s41598-025-89684-9Integrating DNA metabarcoding and morphological analysis improves marine zooplankton biodiversity assessmentSo-yeon Kim0Seongmin Cheon1Chungoo Park2Ho Young Soh3Interdisciplinary Program of Bigdata Fishery Resources Management, Chonnam National UniversitySchool of Biological Sciences and Technology, Chonnam National UniversityInterdisciplinary Program of Bigdata Fishery Resources Management, Chonnam National UniversityInterdisciplinary Program of Bigdata Fishery Resources Management, Chonnam National UniversityAbstract Marine copepod communities play crucial roles in ocean ecosystems. However, their accurate assessment remains challenging due to taxonomic complexities. This study combines morphological and DNA metabarcoding approaches to evaluate copepod diversity and community structure in the northern East China Sea. Zooplankton samples were collected from 10 stations along a coastal-offshore gradient in August 2019. Morphological analysis identified 34 species from 25 genera, while DNA metabarcoding detected 31 species from 20 genera. Both methods revealed distinct coastal and offshore assemblages, with Paracalanus parvus s.l. as the dominant species across all stations. A significant positive correlation was found between morphology-based individual counts and metabarcoding sequence reads (Spearman’s Rho = 0.58, p < 0.001), improving at the genus level (Rho = 0.70, p < 0.001). Redundancy analysis revealed that salinity, temperature, and phytoplankton density significantly influenced copepod distribution. Although both approaches captured similar broad-scale patterns, they provided complementary insights into community structure. Morphological identification was more effective for detecting Cyclopoida diversity, whereas DNA metabarcoding had greater sensitivity for specific Calanoid species. This study underscores the value of integrating traditional and molecular methods for marine biodiversity assessment, especially in the context of global environmental changes.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-89684-9Copepod diversityDNA metabarcodingMorphological identificationEast China SeaZooplankton ecologyMarine biodiversity assessment |
| spellingShingle | So-yeon Kim Seongmin Cheon Chungoo Park Ho Young Soh Integrating DNA metabarcoding and morphological analysis improves marine zooplankton biodiversity assessment Scientific Reports Copepod diversity DNA metabarcoding Morphological identification East China Sea Zooplankton ecology Marine biodiversity assessment |
| title | Integrating DNA metabarcoding and morphological analysis improves marine zooplankton biodiversity assessment |
| title_full | Integrating DNA metabarcoding and morphological analysis improves marine zooplankton biodiversity assessment |
| title_fullStr | Integrating DNA metabarcoding and morphological analysis improves marine zooplankton biodiversity assessment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Integrating DNA metabarcoding and morphological analysis improves marine zooplankton biodiversity assessment |
| title_short | Integrating DNA metabarcoding and morphological analysis improves marine zooplankton biodiversity assessment |
| title_sort | integrating dna metabarcoding and morphological analysis improves marine zooplankton biodiversity assessment |
| topic | Copepod diversity DNA metabarcoding Morphological identification East China Sea Zooplankton ecology Marine biodiversity assessment |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-89684-9 |
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