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<p>Seaweed are significant primary producers and play crucial roles in marine ecosystems. They provide habitats and shelter grounds for marine organisms, thereby supporting and conserving the biodiversity in marine ecosystems. In the present study, environmental DNA metabarcoding was used to seasonally investigate the diversity and dynamic changes of the metazoan community in seaweed <i>Sargassum</i> beds along Weizhou Island, South China Sea, and to evaluate the importance of <i>Sargassum</i> beds in the conservation of metazoan communities. A total of 217 metazoan OTUs were identified. Arthropoda was the dominant phylum with relative abundance exceeding 60%. The metazoan community structure had significant seasonal variations (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.01). The copepod <i>Paracalanus parvus</i> was the dominant species in May, with the highest relative abundance at 49.7%. In September, another calanoid copepod, <i>Bestiolina similis</i>, dominated with relative abundance of 44.7%, while <i>Paracalanus aculeatus</i> and <i>Acrocalanus gracilis</i> were most prevalent in November, with relative abundances of 33.0% and 22.9%, respectively. <i>Subeucalanus crassus</i> was the most dominant species in January, accounting for 33.25% of the metazoan community. The random forest model results showed that electrical conductivity and water temperature were the most effective predictors of metazoan OTU richness and abundance. The highest number of metazoan OTUs was recorded in May, while the lowest was in January, significantly correlating with the seaweed OTUs and biomass (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.01). The network analysis substantiated the ecological role of the seaweed community structure in preserving metazoan biodiversity. Results indicate the seaweed beds along Weizhou Island exert a significant resource conservation impact on the metazoan community.</p>

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DNA metabarcoding reveals the importance of seaweed beds in the conservation of metazoan communities

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年10月11日

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  • Qing Wang,
  • Ruzhong Weng,
  • Pingyu Sun,
  • Ligong Zou,
  • Yufeng Yang

摘要

Seaweed are significant primary producers and play crucial roles in marine ecosystems. They provide habitats and shelter grounds for marine organisms, thereby supporting and conserving the biodiversity in marine ecosystems. In the present study, environmental DNA metabarcoding was used to seasonally investigate the diversity and dynamic changes of the metazoan community in seaweed Sargassum beds along Weizhou Island, South China Sea, and to evaluate the importance of Sargassum beds in the conservation of metazoan communities. A total of 217 metazoan OTUs were identified. Arthropoda was the dominant phylum with relative abundance exceeding 60%. The metazoan community structure had significant seasonal variations (P < 0.01). The copepod Paracalanus parvus was the dominant species in May, with the highest relative abundance at 49.7%. In September, another calanoid copepod, Bestiolina similis, dominated with relative abundance of 44.7%, while Paracalanus aculeatus and Acrocalanus gracilis were most prevalent in November, with relative abundances of 33.0% and 22.9%, respectively. Subeucalanus crassus was the most dominant species in January, accounting for 33.25% of the metazoan community. The random forest model results showed that electrical conductivity and water temperature were the most effective predictors of metazoan OTU richness and abundance. The highest number of metazoan OTUs was recorded in May, while the lowest was in January, significantly correlating with the seaweed OTUs and biomass (P < 0.01). The network analysis substantiated the ecological role of the seaweed community structure in preserving metazoan biodiversity. Results indicate the seaweed beds along Weizhou Island exert a significant resource conservation impact on the metazoan community.