STUDY ON SEASONAL, DAILY AND MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL DNA FOR SEAGRASS BED

Abstract

 In order to develop a monitoring method for seagrass beds using environmental DNA, basic characteristics of environmental DNA released from Zostera marina were investigated. For eight months, twice a week, water sampling and DNA analysis were performed for Zostera marina which was grown in a water tank, whose seawater was regularly changed. The biomass of Zostera marina decreased in summer and increased in winter. Similarly, the amount of DNA decreased in summer and increased in winter. Moreover, in the sea survey, the growth conditions (plant height and density) were different from that of Zostera marina field survey in the previous year, and growth retardation was confirmed. The amount of eDNA analyzed at the same time was low, and the variation from the previous year survey was obtained. This result shows that by observing a wide range of seagrass beds through monitoring of sea grass using DNA, it is possible to rapidly acquire information such as loss and distribution change of seagrass.