Industry-academia partnership takes innovation in coral e-DNA monitoring to the next level.
Industry-academia partnership takes innovation in coral e-DNA monitoring to the next level.
At the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), scientists at the Marine Genomics Unit, in collaboration with the Japanese telecommunications company NTT Communications, have identified the genera of mesophotic corals using eDNA collected by underwater drones for the first time. Their groundbreaking research has been published in the journal Royal Society Open Science. Now, with the help of submersible robots, large-scale eDNA monitoring of corals can be conducted without relying on direct observations during scientific scuba diving or snorkeling.
Mesophotic (‘middle-light’) coral ecosystems are light dependent tropical or subtropical habitats found at depths of 30 to 150 meters. They are unique because they host more native species compared to shallow-water coral ecosystems. Despite this, they are largely unexplored, and more research is needed to understand their basic biology.
Read more at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University
Photo Credit: joakant via Pixabay
