Environmental DNA reveals fine‐scale spatial and temporal variation of marine mammals and their prey species in a Scottish marine protected area

Boyse, Elizabeth ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4328-5320; Robinson, Kevin P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8085-9752; Beger, Maria ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1363-3571; Carr, Ian M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9544-1068; Taylor, Morag ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3907-1290; Valsecchi, Elena ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3869-6413; Goodman, Simon J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4118-8575. 2024 Environmental DNA reveals fine‐scale spatial and temporal variation of marine mammals and their prey species in a Scottish marine protected area. Environmental DNA, 6 (4), e587. 19, pp. 10.1002/edn3.587

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Text (Open Access) © 2024 The Author(s). Environmental DNA published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Environmental DNA - 2024 - Boyse - Environmental DNA reveals fine‐scale spatial and temporal variation of marine mammals.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (7MB) | Preview

Abstract/Summary

Marine mammal foraging grounds are popular focal points for marine protected area (MPA) implementation, despite being temporally dynamic, requiring continuous monitoring to infer prey availability and abundance. Marine mammal distributions are assumed to be driven by their prey in foraging areas, but limited understanding of prey distributions often prevents us from exploring how shifting prey availability impacts both seasonal and long‐term marine mammal distributions. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding could enhance the understanding of marine mammal habitat use in relation to their prey through simultaneous monitoring of both. However, eDNA applications focused on marine mammals or predator–prey dynamics have been limited to date. In this study, we assess spatiotemporal changes in the distribution and abundance of cetaceans, minke whales ( Balaenoptera acutorostrata ), bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) and harbor porpoises ( Phocoena phocoena ) in relation to key prey species in a newly established MPA, employing eDNA metabarcoding. We recovered 105 molecular operational taxonomic units (OTUs) from marine vertebrates using two primer sets targeting 12S and 16S genes, along with 112 OTUs from a broader eukaryotic primer set targeting 18S rRNA. Overall, key forage fish prey species, sandeels and clupeids, were the most abundant teleost fishes detected, although their availability varied temporally and with distance from shore. We also found clear spatial partitioning between coastal bottlenose dolphins and the more pelagic minke whales and harbor porpoises, paralleling availability of their main prey species. Other species of conservation interest were also detected including the critically endangered European eel ( Anguilla anguilla ), Atlantic bluefin tuna ( Thunnus thynnus ), and the invasive pink salmon ( Oncorhynchus gorbuscha ). This study demonstrates the application of eDNA to detect spatiotemporal trends in the occurrence and abundance of cetacean predators and their prey, furthering our understanding of fine‐scale habitat use within MPAs. Future long‐term monitoring of predator–prey dynamics with eDNA could improve our ability to predict climate‐induced shifts in foraging grounds and enhance rapid responses with appropriate management actions.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1002/edn3.587
ISSN:	2637-4943
Additional Keywords:	cetacean, climate change, environmental DNA, habitat use, marine mammals, marine protected areas, prey, seasonal
Date made live:	27 Feb 2025 10:16 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/538976

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