Quantitative sequencing enables simultaneous absolute quantification and
sequencing of environmental DNA of fish species
Abstract
Analysis of biodiversity in natural environments based on environmental
DNA (eDNA) has been applied to a wide range of ecosystems and species.
The combination of high-throughput sequencing technologies and eDNA
analysis is a powerful tool that enables comprehensive non-invasive
monitoring of species present in the environment. Quantitative data of
the eDNA from each species is essential for understanding species
abundance but until recently required individual assays targeting each
species. Recently developed quantitative sequencing (qSeq) allows
simultaneous phylogenetic identification and quantification of
individual species by counting random tags added to the 5′ end of the
target sequence during the first DNA synthesis. Here, we applied qSeq to
eDNA analysis to test its effectiveness in biodiversity monitoring. The
eDNA extracted from aquaria with five fish species (Hemigrammocypris
neglectus, Candidia temminckii, Oryzias latipes, Rhinogobius flumineus,
and Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) across 4 days was quantified by
microfluidic digital PCR using a TaqMan probe and qSeq. The eDNA
abundance quantified by qSeq was consistent with dPCR for each fish
species at each sampling time. However, the relative abundances of
sequences obtained from high throughput sequencing did not follow the
same trend as the quantitative analyses, probably due to different PCR
amplification efficiencies for each species. The correlation
coefficients between qSeq and dPCR were 1.052, 1.074, and 1.114 for H.
neglectus, O. latipes, and M. anguillicaudatus, respectively, indicating
that qSeq accurately quantifies fish eDNA. The application of qSeq to
eDNA of other species will provide comprehensive quantitative data that
could deepen our knowledge of natural ecosystems.