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A Marine Biodiversity Observation Network for genetic monitoring of hard-bottom communities (ARMS-MBON)
Obst, M.; Exter, K.; Allcock, A.L.; Arvanitidis, C.; Axberg, A.; Bustamante, M.; Cancio, I.; Carreira-Flores, D.; Chatzinikolaou, E.; Chatzigeorgiou, G.; Chrismas, N.; Clark, M.S.; Comtet, T.; Dailianis, T.; Davies, N.; Deneudt, K.; de Cerio, O.D.; Fortic, A.; Gerovasileiou, V.; Hablützel, P.I.; Keklikoglou, K.; Kotoulas, G.; Lasota, R.; Leite, B.R.; Loisel, S.; Lévêque, L.; Levy, L.; Malachowicz, M.; Mavric, B.; Meyer, C.; Mortelmans, J.; Norkko, J.; Pade, N.; Power, A.M.; Ramšak, A.; Reiss, H.; Solbakken, J.; Staehr, P.A.; Sundberg, P.; Thyrring, J.; Troncoso, J.; Viard, F.; Wenne, R.; Yperifanou, E.I.; Zbawicka, M.; Pavloudi, C. (2020). A Marine Biodiversity Observation Network for genetic monitoring of hard-bottom communities (ARMS-MBON). Front. Mar. Sci. 7: 572680. https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.572680
In: Frontiers in Marine Science. Frontiers Media: Lausanne. e-ISSN 2296-7745
Peer reviewed article  
Available in  Authors 
    Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee: Open access 355984 [ download pdf ]
Keywords
    ASSEMBLEPlus Joint Research Activity 1
    Scientific Publication
Author keywords
    benthic invertebrates, Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs), Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs), European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC), non-indigenous species (NIS), Genomic Observatories, marine biodiversity assessment
Authors  Top 
  • Obst, M.
  • Exter, K.
  • Allcock, A.L.
  • Arvanitidis, C.
  • Axberg, A.
  • Bustamante, M.
  • Cancio, I.
  • Carreira-Flores, D.
  • Chatzinikolaou, E.
  • Chatzigeorgiou, G.
  • Chrismas, N.
  • Clark, M.S.
  • Comtet, T.
  • Dailianis, T.
  • Davies, N.
  • Deneudt, K.
  • de Cerio, O.D.
  • Fortic, A.
  • Gerovasileiou, V.
  • Hablützel, P.I.
  • Keklikoglou, K.
  • Kotoulas, G.
  • Lasota, R.
  • Leite, B.R.
  • Loisel, S.
  • Lévêque, L.
  • Levy, L.
  • Malachowicz, M.
  • Mavric, B.
  • Meyer, C.
  • Mortelmans, J.
  • Norkko, J.
  • Pade, N.
  • Power, A.M.
  • Ramšak, A.
  • Reiss, H.
  • Solbakken, J.
  • Staehr, P.A.
  • Sundberg, P.
  • Thyrring, J.
  • Troncoso, J.
  • Viard, F.
  • Wenne, R.
  • Yperifanou, E.I.
  • Zbawicka, M.
  • Pavloudi, C.
Abstract
    Marine hard-bottom communities are undergoing severe change under the influence of multiple drivers, notably climate change, extraction of natural resources, pollution and eutrophication, habitat degradation, and invasive species. Monitoring marine biodiversity in such habitats is, however, challenging as it typically involves expensive, non-standardized, and often destructive sampling methods that limit its scalability. Differences in monitoring approaches furthermore hinders inter-comparison among monitoring programs. Here, we announce a Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) consisting of Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) with the aim to assess the status and changes in benthic fauna with genomic-based methods, notably DNA metabarcoding, in combination with image-based identifications. This article presents the results of a 30-month pilot phase in which we established an operational and geographically expansive ARMS-MBON. The network currently consists of 20 observatories distributed across European coastal waters and the polar regions, in which 134 ARMS have been deployed to date. Sampling takes place annually, either as short-term deployments during the summer or as long-term deployments starting in spring. The pilot phase was used to establish a common set of standards for field sampling, genetic analysis, data management, and legal compliance, which are presented here. We also tested the potential of ARMS for combining genetic and image-based identification methods in comparative studies of benthic diversity, as well as for detecting non-indigenous species. Results show that ARMS are suitable for monitoring hard-bottom environments as they provide genetic data that can be continuously enriched, re-analyzed, and integrated with conventional data to document benthic community composition and detect non-indigenous species. Finally, we provide guidelines to expand the network and present a sustainability plan as part of the European Marine Biological Resource Centre (www.embrc.eu).
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