Environmental DNA survey of the Winter Salmonosphere in the Gulf of Alaska
Abstract Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) are a foundation species around the north Pacific, yet many wild populations have experienced steep declines over the last decades associated with decreased marine survival. Due to limited sampling, our understanding of the dynamic North Pacific Ocean ecos...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Environmental DNA |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.404 |
| _version_ | 1797823299331293184 |
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| author | Christoph M. Deeg Shaorong Li Svetlana Esenkulova Brian P. V. Hunt Angela D. Schulze Kristina M. Miller |
| author_facet | Christoph M. Deeg Shaorong Li Svetlana Esenkulova Brian P. V. Hunt Angela D. Schulze Kristina M. Miller |
| author_sort | Christoph M. Deeg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) are a foundation species around the north Pacific, yet many wild populations have experienced steep declines over the last decades associated with decreased marine survival. Due to limited sampling, our understanding of the dynamic North Pacific Ocean ecosystem remains poor and factors impacting marine survival of salmon remain largely unknown, specifically in the winter when salmon face limited resources. Here, we present a late winter ecosystem‐wide environmental DNA (eDNA) survey performed in 2019 and 2020 in the Gulf of Alaska. Our eDNA data refines the ocean distribution and relative abundance of Pacific salmon, as well as their prey such as copepods. Vertical diurnal migrators like myctophids and squid that are prey and/or competitors of salmon and represent the bulk of the open ocean biomass in the Gulf of Alaska. We detected these species irrespective of time of day in the eDNA data, resolving the nighttime bias associated with trawl catches. Furthermore, eDNA uncovered cryptic predators of salmon such as salmon sharks (Lamna ditropis) and beaked whales (Ziphiidae) not evident from catch or observer data. Open‐ocean communities of the central Gulf of Alaska were characterized by low species richness in contrast to hotspots of biological activity associated with oceanographic features such as eddies and the continental shelf. Network analysis revealed the ecological interactions that salmon navigate in the open‐ocean ecosystem by identifying key prey species, competitors, and predators and revealed the negative impact of the northern sea nettle (Chrysaora melanaster) on salmon that was associated with a marine heatwave in 2019. Finally, we highlight the utility of eDNA for open ocean ecosystem research and provide recommendations for further surveys. This dataset, complementing traditional survey methods, illustrates the winter salmonosphere in the North Pacific Ocean at improved resolution and provides a baseline for future research. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T10:20:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a15a02c9d4a54d15a2f48f95bc52e5d3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2637-4943 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T10:20:58Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental DNA |
| spelling | doaj.art-a15a02c9d4a54d15a2f48f95bc52e5d32023-05-20T12:29:57ZengWileyEnvironmental DNA2637-49432023-05-015351953910.1002/edn3.404Environmental DNA survey of the Winter Salmonosphere in the Gulf of AlaskaChristoph M. Deeg0Shaorong Li1Svetlana Esenkulova2Brian P. V. Hunt3Angela D. Schulze4Kristina M. Miller5Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia CanadaFisheries and Oceans Canada Pacific Biological Station Nanaimo British Columbia CanadaPacific Salmon Foundation Vancouver British Columbia CanadaDepartment of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia CanadaFisheries and Oceans Canada Pacific Biological Station Nanaimo British Columbia CanadaDepartment of Forest and Conservation Sciences University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia CanadaAbstract Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) are a foundation species around the north Pacific, yet many wild populations have experienced steep declines over the last decades associated with decreased marine survival. Due to limited sampling, our understanding of the dynamic North Pacific Ocean ecosystem remains poor and factors impacting marine survival of salmon remain largely unknown, specifically in the winter when salmon face limited resources. Here, we present a late winter ecosystem‐wide environmental DNA (eDNA) survey performed in 2019 and 2020 in the Gulf of Alaska. Our eDNA data refines the ocean distribution and relative abundance of Pacific salmon, as well as their prey such as copepods. Vertical diurnal migrators like myctophids and squid that are prey and/or competitors of salmon and represent the bulk of the open ocean biomass in the Gulf of Alaska. We detected these species irrespective of time of day in the eDNA data, resolving the nighttime bias associated with trawl catches. Furthermore, eDNA uncovered cryptic predators of salmon such as salmon sharks (Lamna ditropis) and beaked whales (Ziphiidae) not evident from catch or observer data. Open‐ocean communities of the central Gulf of Alaska were characterized by low species richness in contrast to hotspots of biological activity associated with oceanographic features such as eddies and the continental shelf. Network analysis revealed the ecological interactions that salmon navigate in the open‐ocean ecosystem by identifying key prey species, competitors, and predators and revealed the negative impact of the northern sea nettle (Chrysaora melanaster) on salmon that was associated with a marine heatwave in 2019. Finally, we highlight the utility of eDNA for open ocean ecosystem research and provide recommendations for further surveys. This dataset, complementing traditional survey methods, illustrates the winter salmonosphere in the North Pacific Ocean at improved resolution and provides a baseline for future research.https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.404ecosystemenvironmental DNAGulf of AlaskaNortheast PacificOncorhynchusopen ocean |
| spellingShingle | Christoph M. Deeg Shaorong Li Svetlana Esenkulova Brian P. V. Hunt Angela D. Schulze Kristina M. Miller Environmental DNA survey of the Winter Salmonosphere in the Gulf of Alaska Environmental DNA ecosystem environmental DNA Gulf of Alaska Northeast Pacific Oncorhynchus open ocean |
| title | Environmental DNA survey of the Winter Salmonosphere in the Gulf of Alaska |
| title_full | Environmental DNA survey of the Winter Salmonosphere in the Gulf of Alaska |
| title_fullStr | Environmental DNA survey of the Winter Salmonosphere in the Gulf of Alaska |
| title_full_unstemmed | Environmental DNA survey of the Winter Salmonosphere in the Gulf of Alaska |
| title_short | Environmental DNA survey of the Winter Salmonosphere in the Gulf of Alaska |
| title_sort | environmental dna survey of the winter salmonosphere in the gulf of alaska |
| topic | ecosystem environmental DNA Gulf of Alaska Northeast Pacific Oncorhynchus open ocean |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.404 |
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