DNA Barcoding Could Monitor Marine Mammal Biodiversity

Monitoring marine mammal biodiversity is often difficult. Whales, dolphins and other species can travel for thousands of miles or can be located in hard-to-reach locales, like the Arctic. Some species also have discreet behaviors or are scarce. Now, though, scientists have found a way that could help monitor marine mammal genetic diversity. They've evaluated the usefulness of DNA barcoding when it comes to monitoring this biodiversity.

In the last ten years, 14 species of cetaceans and five species of pinnipeds have been stranded along the Atlantic coast of Brittany. In fact, an average of about 150 animals strand each year in the area. The presence of marine mammals and their overall welfare can reflect the health of a region. When they disappear or are displaced, it can reflect the fact that negative environmental changes are taking place. By being able to measure biodiversity, scientists can more accurately assess the health of these populations and their environments.

In order to assess whether DNA barcoding could work, field correspondents performed species identifications on degraded carcasses or parts of carcasses. They also examined intraspecific genetic variations for harbor porpoises and the grey seal. In fact, the scientists sequenced more than 500 bp of the 5' end of the mitochondrial cox1 gene of 89 animals and 15 different species. In the end, the scientists found that DNA barcoding in conjunction with a stranding network will clearly increase the accuracy of monitoring marine mammal biodiversity.

The findings could be huge for future monitoring networks. Global climate change and localized environmental changes have major impacts on the marine realm. A routine use of DNA barcoding will allow scientists to better detect these impacts, which could be an important first step when it comes to taking appropriate conservation measures.

The findings are published in the journal ZooKeys.