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The future role of next-generation DNA sequencing and metagenetics in aquatic biology monitoring programs
Citation:
PILGRIM, E., S. A. JACKSON, J. W. MARTINSON, AND J. DARLING. The future role of next-generation DNA sequencing and metagenetics in aquatic biology monitoring programs. Presented at SETAC Europe, Milan, ITALY, May 14 - 20, 2011.
Impact/Purpose:
This presentation outlines the future role that metagenetic data generated by NGS could have in new biological monitoring and assessment programs. The future uses of this metagenetic data would be not only to improve the speed and precision of biological monitoring, but to move programs beyond relatively simple conditions assessments to the ultimate goal of bioassessment: environmental stressor identification.
Description:
The development of current biological monitoring and bioassessment programs was a drastic improvement over previous programs created for monitoring a limited number of specific chemical pollutants. Although these assessment programs are better designed to address the transient and potentially synergistic nature of environmental stressors, the reliance on morphological taxonomic identification of samples has several inherent issues limiting the scope of these programs. Biological monitoring programs suffer from high costs, long completion times, and quality assurance issues from taxonomic disagreements. These programs also rely on animal groups, such as fish and macroinvertebrates, that can be identified by experts, while avoiding microbial, algal and meiofaunal communities whose members would be difficult or impossible to identify through morphology. These neglected communities likely represent a wealth of information that could be applied to assessing ecological condition. Even for those fauna used in bioassessment, many taxa are not readily identified to species, leading to taxonomic imprecision and a potential loss of information. Next generation DNA sequencing (NGS) is a revolutionary technology when considered in the context of biological monitoring programs. This technology allows for bulk DNA extraction of virtually all the specimens in a sample, followed by DNA sequencing of genetic loci used for taxonomic identification. NGS generates large amounts of sequence data that can be applied not only to the identification, with finer taxonomic resolution, of those groups currently used in assessment, but to previously intractable groups such as nematodes, diatoms and other algae, protozoans, and other meiofaunal invertebrate phyla.