Application of plant DNA metabarcoding of lake sediments for monitoring vegetation compositions on the Tibetan Plateau

作     者：Kai WU Kai LI Weihan JIA Kathleen RSTOOF-LEICHSENRING Ulrike HERZSCHUH Jian NI Mengna LIAO Fang TIAN 

作者机构：College of Life SciencesZhejiang Normal UniversityJinhua 321004China Polar Terrestrial Environmental Systems Research GroupAlfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine ResearchPotsdam 14473Germany Institute of Environmental Science and GeographyUniversity of PotsdamPotsdam 14476Germany Institute of Biochemistry and BiologyUniversity of PotsdamPotsdam 14476Germany College of Resource Environment and TourismCapital Normal UniversityBeijing 100048China 

出 版 物：《Science China Earth Sciences》 (中国科学（地球科学英文版）)

年 卷 期：2024年第67卷第11期

页      面：3594-3609页

核心收录：

学科分类：07[理学] 0713[理学-生态学] 

基　　金：supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 42071107, 42177433) the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDA2009000003) the Zhejiang Natural Science Foundation (Grant Nos. LY20D010002 and LY20D010003) 

主　　题：Sedimentary DNA(sedDNA) Metabarcoding Pollen Vegetation composition Tibetan Plateau 

摘      要：Benefiting from the rapid development of environmental DNA(eDNA) technologies, sedimentary DNA(sedDNA)emerges as a promising tool for monitoring plant compositions in remote regions. The Tibetan Plateau(TP), renowned for its harsh environment and numerous ponds and lakes, presents a potentially demanding region for the application of sedDNA on vegetation investigations. Here, we used the g and h universal primers for the P6 loop region of the chloroplast trn L(UAA)intron to amplify plant DNA in surface sediments from 59 ponds and small lakes on the southwestern TP. The applicability and limitations of using plant DNA metabarcoding for modern vegetation monitoring and palaeo-vegetation reconstructions have been assessed by comparing sedDNA, pollen, and vegetation survey data. Our results showed that plant DNA metabarcoding recorded 186 terrestrial taxa, of which 30.1% can be identified at the species level. The plant sedDNA approach can effectively disclose the dominant plant taxa(including Asteraceae, Cyperaceae and Poaceae) and significant vegetation assemblages in the vicinity of the investigated sites. The number of taxa and taxonomic resolution of plant sedDNA exceeded that of pollen analysis(75 taxa detected, 5.3% can be identified at species level). Unlike pollen that retains a broad spectrum of regional plant signals(including Pinus and Artemisia), plant sedDNA mirrors very local plants, underscoring its utility in local vegetation monitoring and reconstructions. To conclude, plant DNA metabarcoding of(small) lake sediments warrant increased attention in the future for local vegetation monitoring and reconstructions on the TP.