Boreal wetland vegetation assessment through DNA metabarcoding of soil

In place of conventional surveys that depend on single specimen identification, biodiversity can be measured directly from environmental samples through DNA metabarcoding. Plant communities are routinely surveyed for ecological monitoring in order to infer quality of sites. In this study, we used soil samples from remote wetland sites in the Peace-Athabasca Delta - located in Wood Buffalo National Park, Alberta, Canada - to further develop and improve our understanding of DNA metabarcoding methodologies for vascular plant assessment. We examined the influence of DNA marker selection as well as temporal trends in plant diversity.