Uthicke, Sven, Doyle, Jason R., Gomez Cabrera, Maria, Patel, Frances, McLatchie, Madi J., Doll, Peter C., Chandler, Josie F., and Pratchett, Morgan S. (2024) eDNA monitoring detects new outbreak wave of corallivorous seastar (Acanthaster cf. solaris) at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs. (In Press)

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Abstract

Crown-of-thorns seastar (CoTS, Acanthaster cf. solaris) outbreaks remain a significant cause of coral loss on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and across the West-Pacific Ocean. Previous outbreaks on the GBR have only been discovered once fully established, which constrains opportunities for effective control. Early detection of outbreaks would provide an important opportunity for early intervention and increase understanding of outbreak cause(s). Here, we assess the utility of environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring to detect the initiation of a population outbreak at Lizard Island over five years (2019–2023), compared with density estimates obtained using Scooter-Assisted Large Area Diver-based (SALAD) surveys. At each of the five eDNA sampling sites, 30 replicate samples were collected annually and analysed with CoTS-specific primer sets and digital droplet PCR. Both methods detected distinct increases in CoTS densities from 2020/21 onwards, indicating the start of a new population outbreak. A large part of the observed variation in eDNA (expressed as the percentage of positive samples) was explained by changes in recorded CoTS density, confirming that eDNA data provide a quantitative estimate for adult CoTS abundance. SALAD surveys and eDNA are new and complementary monitoring methods that facilitate early detection of CoTS outbreaks, which will enable more effective management intervention.

Item ID:	83063
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1432-0975
Keywords:	Acanthaster; Coral reef crisis; Nuisance species; eDNA
Copyright Information:	© Crown 2024. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Date Deposited:	08 Jul 2024 07:07
FoR Codes:	31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3103 Ecology > 310305 Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) @ 80% 31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3105 Genetics > 310599 Genetics not elsewhere classified @ 20%
SEO Codes:	28 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 2801 Expanding knowledge > 280102 Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences @ 50% 18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1805 Marine systems and management > 180501 Assessment and management of benthic marine ecosystems @ 50%
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