COR0924 Survey DNA Analysis

2.

Contract Summary JNCC wishes to commission a contract to undertake analysis of benthic DNA samples that will be collected during the COR0924 survey to a region offshore of St Kilda in Autumn 2024.

Bidders are invited to provide a quote to include: • Cost of analysis per sample for up to 80 DNA samples; • Cost of reporting; and • Cost of storing actual samples for one year in case of future analyses dependent on funding.

The contract, with any remedial actions following JNCC's quality checks, will need to be fully completed by March 2025.

3.

Project Background and Aims Metaprobes have been increasingly used in recent years to passively collect DNA from marine habitats.

They have the potential to provide a relatively cheap and minimal extra effort method of sampling DNA in marine ecosystems, complementing existing traditional survey methods.

Metaprobes have been deployed in inshore waters but there is limited understanding of their use in offshore waters.

JNCC aim to address this research gap by asking the overarching question: Can we detect benthic species offshore using eDNA collected with metaprobes?

JNCC will be collaborating with Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute (AFBI) to undertake an offshore survey aboard the RV Corystes to a region offshore of St Kilda (survey code COR0924).

The survey will depart Belfast Harbour on 26th September 2024 and return to the same port on 11th October 2024.

During the survey, 36 sledge camera tows (Figure 1) will be conducted, providing an ideal opportunity to test collecting eDNA using metaprobes in the offshore benthic environment and to compare findings with benthic imagery.

There is a risk that metaprobes may become clogged with sediment, impacting the ability to passively filter water and collect eDNA.

This will be investigated through the study's experimental design by placing mesh around half of the metaprobes deployed.

From outputs of the DNA analysis and camera sledge tows, JNCC aim to answer the following questions: 1.

Does the species richness of benthic organisms detected vary between eDNA and imagery?

2.

Does community composition of benthic organisms detected vary between eDNA and imagery?

3.

Does species richness differ between metaprobes deployed with mesh and no mesh?

4.

How many metaprobes are required to achieve a complete dataset?