Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities (MDBC) eDNA metabarcoding: PC2202, NOAA Ship Pisces, June 30-July 11, 2022

Data from environmental DNA (eDNA) samples filtered from seawater collected in the Gulf of America during a research expedition on the NOAA Ship Pisces from June 30-July 11, 2022. Samples were collected at depths throughout the water column using Niskins mounted to rosettes on Connectivity-Temperature-Depth instruments (CTDs). Each eDNA sample was amplified using four primer sets: MiFish 12S rRNA marker targeting ray-finned fishes; 28S rRNA marker targeting corals and other cnidarians; and 18S rRNA and CO1 mtDNA general markers for eukaryotic plankton, protists, and other invertebrates. Sequences were then processed bioinformatically to infer amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) and assign taxonomic identifications from the WoRMs database. This data was collected as part of the Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities (MDBC) restoration project launched after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The data is formatted as per guidelines for upload to the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS, https://obis.org/).