Integration of environmental DNA metabarcoding technique to reinforce fish biodiversity assessments in seagrass ecosystems: A case study of Gazi Bay Seagrass meadows

Assessing biodiversity in marine nearshore ecosystems is crucial for effective management, especially in the context of climate change and overexploitation of marine resources. Conventional methods often fall short in providing comprehensive information for managing seagrass ecosystems. However, the emergence of environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques has transformed the field by enabling non-invasive surveys that are cost-effective and provide detailed information with high resolution. In this study, we utilized eDNA to assess fish diversity and compared its effectiveness to conventional techniques such as catch assessment surveys and underwater surveys. We sampled three habitats (A: mangrove-seagrass, B: seagrass only, and C: coral-seagrass) with 4 replicates. Site A recorded 8 fish species, site B had 16 species, and site C, characterized by coral and seagrass habitats, exhibited the highest fish diversity with 45 species (mean H' index = 2.455), underscoring its ecological importance. T...