Assessment of anthropogenic effects on biodiversity in the Peruvian Amazon using environmental DNA (eDNA)

Knowledge of the impact of human activities on fish communities is crucial for theprotection of Amazonian ecosystems. In this study, we sampled eDNA from 17 sites (lakes andrivers) in two Peruvian nature reserves and used a metabarcoding approach with 4 markers.This approach identified 319 and 207 fish species in the Pacaya-Samiria and Allpahuayo-Mishana reserves respectively, demonstrating the effectiveness of eDNA. Analyses showed thathuman disturbances, such as deforestation, modify species composition without reducingspecies richness. However, analysis of functional diversity revealed a decrease in functionalrichness accompanied by an increase in functional dispersion linked to deforestation, indicatinga loss of part of the ecological functions.