Marine zooplankton community structure through environmental DNA metabarcoding in the Florida Keys, collected by the South Florida Program (NOAA/AOML) and the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON)

Anni Djurhuus; Ana Carolina Peralta; Kathleen Pitz; Natalie A. Sawaya; Jaimie Rojas-Marquez; Brianna Michaud; Enrique Montes; Frank Muller-Karger; Mya Breitbart

doi:10.15468/mrxge2

Marine zooplankton community structure through environmental DNA metabarcoding in the Florida Keys, collected by the South Florida Program (NOAA/AOML) and the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON)

Citation

Djurhuus A, Peralta A C, Pitz K, Sawaya N A, Rojas-Marquez J, Michaud B, Montes E, Muller-Karger F, Breitbart M (2025). Marine zooplankton community structure through environmental DNA metabarcoding in the Florida Keys, collected by the South Florida Program (NOAA/AOML) and the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON). Version 1.4. NOAA Integrated Ocean Observing System. Occurrence dataset. https://ipt-obis.gbif.us/resource?r=mbonfknmsedna&v=1.4 https://doi.org/10.15468/mrxge2 accessed via GBIF.org on 2025-07-17.

Description

This data consists of counts of putative zooplankton OTUs, revealed through metabarcoding of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene extracted from filtered water samples in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary during 2016. It includes results from 95 water samples taken over three days at three coral reef sites. After data processing, a total of 194 taxa were identified; the identification was to the species level, with only a few to the genus level.

Purpose

MBON cruises have the purpose of collection biological data for biodiversity assessments. Water samples were used to determine dominant copepod survey using eDNA, demonstrating that eDNA metabarcoding is a promising technique for future biodiversity assessments of pelagic zooplankton in marine systems.

Sampling Description

Study Extent

Sampling area: Florida Keys - Molasses Reef, Looe Key, and Western Sambo.

Sampling

This data represents zooplankton taxonomic composition revealed through metabarcoding of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) genes. Water samples were collected from three coral reef sites in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. 1 L surface seawater samples prefiltered through 3 um filters and subsequently collected on 0.22 um filters for eDNA (PF-eDNA). The COI gene metabarcoding of PF-eDNA samples was performed using Illumina MiSeq.

Method steps

https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/lom3.10237

Taxonomic Coverages

Zooplankton, including 194 taxa within 37 Classes.

Coccolithophyceae
rank: class
Copepoda
rank: class
Teleostei
rank: class
Ascidiacea
rank: class
Hydrozoa
rank: class
Sagittoidea
rank: class
Malacostraca
rank: class
Gastropoda
rank: class
Mamiellophyceae
rank: class
Eurotiomycetes
rank: class
Chlorarachnea
rank: class
Bacillariophyceae
rank: class
Polychaeta
rank: class
Ostracoda
rank: class
Palaeonemertea
rank: class
Anthozoa
rank: class
Cephalopoda
rank: class
Pilidiophora
rank: class
Demospongiae
rank: class
Ophiuroidea
rank: class
Thecostraca
rank: class
Florideophyceae
rank: class
Cyanophyceae
rank: class
Holothuroidea
rank: class
Pyramimonadophyceae
rank: class
Hexapoda
rank: class
Homoscleromorpha
rank: class
Bivalvia
rank: class
Elasmobranchii
rank: class
Gymnolaemata
rank: class
Asteroidea
rank: class
Dinophyceae
rank: class
Cryptophyta incertae sedis
rank: class
Raphidophyce
rank: class
Echinoidea
rank: class
Aves
rank: class
Nuda
rank: class

Geographic Coverages

Florida Keys: Molasses Reef, Looe Key, and Western Sambo

Bibliographic Citations

Contacts

Anni Djurhuus
originator
position: postdoctoral researcher
College of Marine Science, University of South Florida
US
email: anni.djurhuus@gmail.com
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3517-7522

Ana Carolina Peralta
originator
position: postdoctoral researcher
College of Marine Science, University of South Florida
US
email: anacarolaperaltab@gmail.com
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0830-9814

Kathleen Pitz
originator
position: Researcher
Monterey Bay Aquatic Research Institute
California
US
email: kpitz@mbari.org
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6841-2659

Natalie A. Sawaya
originator
position: Researcher
College of Marine Science, University of South Florida
US
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6841-2659

Jaimie Rojas-Marquez
originator
position: Researcher
Fundacion La Salle de Ciencias Naturales, Estacion de Investigaciones Marinas
Margarita
VE
userId: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7318-7180

Brianna Michaud
originator
position: Researcher
College of Marine Science, University of South Florida
US
email: bmichaud@usf.edu
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8653-3603

Enrique Montes
originator
position: NOAA Affiliated Researcher
Cooperative Institute for Marine & Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS)
US
email: enrique.montes@noaa.gov
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3103-4479

Frank Muller-Karger
originator
position: Project Principal Investigator
College of Marine Science, University of South Florida
US
email: carib@usf.edu
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3159-5011

Mya Breitbart
originator
position: Professor and researcher
College of Marine Science, University of South Florida
US
email: mya@usf.edu
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3210-2899

Anni Djurhuus
metadata author
position: postdoctoral researcher
College of Marine Science, University of South Florida
US
email: anni.djurhuus@gmail.com
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3517-7522

Ana Carolina Peralta
metadata author
position: postdoctoral researcher
College of Marine Science, University of South Florida
US
email: anacarolaperaltab@gmail.com
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0830-9814

Stephen Formel
reviewer
position: Biologist
U.S. Geological Survey
email: sformel@usgs.gov
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7418-1244

Mathew Biddle
distributor
position: Physical Scientist
United States Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (US MBON)
1315 East-West Highway
Silver Spring
20910
MD
US
Telephone: 3017134928
email: mathew.biddle@noaa.gov
homepage: https://ioos.noaa.gov/
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4897-1669

Anni Djurhuus
administrative point of contact
position: postdoctoral researcher
College of Marine Science, University of South Florida
US
email: anni.djurhuus@gmail.com
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3517-7522

Ana Carolina Peralta
administrative point of contact
position: postdoctoral researcher
College of Marine Science, University of South Florida
US
email: anacarolaperaltab@gmail.com
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0830-9814

Frank Muller-Karger
administrative point of contact
position: Project Principal Investigator
College of Marine Science, University of South Florida
US
email: carib@usf.edu
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3159-5011