Data_Sheet_2_A Marine Biodiversity Observation Network for Genetic Monitoring of Hard-Bottom Communities (ARMS-MBON).xlsx

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).

海洋硬质底栖群落正受多重驱动因素影响而发生剧烈变化，其中尤为显著的包括气候变化、自然资源开采、污染与富营养化、生境退化以及外来入侵物种。然而，对这类生境中的海洋生物多样性进行监测颇具挑战：传统监测方法往往成本高昂、缺乏标准化且常具有破坏性，这限制了监测的可扩展性；此外，不同监测项目采用的方法各异，进一步阻碍了相互间的比对工作。为此，我们推出了一套由自主珊瑚礁监测结构（Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures, ARMS）组成的海洋生物多样性观测网络（Marine Biodiversity Observation Network, MBON），旨在通过基于基因组学的方法——尤其是DNA元条形码（DNA metabarcoding）技术——结合图像识别手段，评估底栖动物群落的现状与变化。本文报告了为期30个月的试点阶段成果，在此期间我们搭建了一套可运行且地理覆盖范围广泛的ARMS-MBON网络。目前该网络已在欧洲近岸海域与极地地区布设了20个观测站，累计部署了134套ARMS设备。采样工作每年开展一次，分为夏季短期部署与春季启动的长期部署两种模式。本次试点阶段确立了一套适用于野外采样、遗传分析、数据管理与法律合规的通用标准，本文将对这些标准进行介绍。我们还测试了ARMS在底栖生物多样性对比研究中结合遗传与图像识别技术的应用潜力，以及其在非土著物种检测方面的可行性。研究结果表明，ARMS设备适用于硬质底栖生境的监测工作：其产出的遗传数据可持续丰富、反复分析，并可与传统监测数据整合，用于记录底栖群落组成并检测非土著物种。最后，我们提供了该网络的扩展指南，并作为欧洲海洋生物资源中心（European Marine Biological Resource Centre, www.embrc.eu）的组成部分，提出了可持续发展方案。