Journal Article
Pan‐regional marine benthic cryptobiome biodiversity patterns revealed by metabarcoding Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures
John K. Pearman; Guillem Chust; Eva Aylagas; Ernesto Villarino; James R. Watson; Anne Chenuil; Angel Borja; Abigail E. Cahill; Laura Carugati; Roberto Danovaro; Romain David; Xabier Irigoien; Iñaki Mendibil; Snejana Moncheva; Naiara Rodríguez‐Ezpeleta; Maria C. Uyarra; Susana Carvalho
Molecular Ecology · Vol. 29, Issue 24 · pp. 4882-4897 · 2020
Abstract
Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) have been applied worldwide to characterize the critical yet frequently overlooked biodiversity patterns of marine benthic organisms. In order to disentangle the relevance of environmental factors in benthic patterns, here, through standardized metabarcoding protocols, we analyse sessile and mobile ( Amphibalanus , were also shared between the lower salinity seas (Baltic and Black Seas). We found that compositional differences in spatial patterns of rocky‐shore benthos are determined slightly more by dispersal limitation than environmental filtering. Dispersal limitation was similar between sessile and mobile groups, while the sessile group had a larger environmental niche breadth than the mobile group. Further, our study can provide a foundation for future evaluations of biodiversity patterns in the cryptobiome, which can contribute up to 70% of the local biodiversity.