Foraminiferal sedimentary DNA (sedDNA) sequences from Svalbard

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is usually defined as genetic material obtained directly from environmental samples, such as soil, water, or ice. Coupled with DNA metabarcoding, eDNA is a powerful tool in biodiversity assessments. Results from eDNA approach provided valuable insights to the studies of past and contemporary biodiversity in terrestrial and aquatic environments. However, the state and fate of eDNA are still investigated and the knowledge about the form of eDNA (i.e., extracellular vs. intracellular) or the DNA degradation under different environmental conditions is limited. Here, we tackle this issue by analyzing foraminiferal sedimentary DNA (sedDNA) from different size fractions of marine sediments. Surface sediment samples were collected at 15 sampling stations located in the Svalbard archipelago. Sequences of the foraminifera-specific 37f region were generated using Illumina technology. The presented data may be used as a reference for a wide range of eDNA-based studies, including biomonitoring and biodiversity assessments across time and space.

环境DNA（Environmental DNA，eDNA）通常被定义为直接从土壤、水体或冰等环境样本中获取的遗传物质。将其与DNA宏条形码（DNA metabarcoding）技术结合后，环境DNA可成为生物多样性评估的强有力工具。环境DNA方法的研究成果已为陆地与水生环境中的古生物多样性及现代生物多样性研究提供了宝贵见解。然而，环境DNA的存在状态与归趋仍处于研究阶段，目前关于环境DNA的存在形式（即细胞外与细胞内）以及不同环境条件下DNA降解机制的认知仍较为有限。本研究通过分析海洋沉积物不同粒径组分中的有孔虫沉积DNA（foraminiferal sedimentary DNA，sedDNA）来解决这一问题。研究人员在斯瓦尔巴群岛的15个采样站位采集了表层沉积物样本。通过Illumina测序技术获得了有孔虫特异性37f区域的序列。本数据集可作为众多基于环境DNA的研究的参考资料，涵盖时空尺度上的生物监测与生物多样性评估等领域。