Skip to main content
Dryad

eDNA data set from 63 locations of Okinawa Island

Data files

Jan 10, 2023 version files 57.01 GB

Abstract

Coral reefs have the highest biodiversity of any marine ecosystem in tropical and subtropical oceans. However, scleractinian corals, keystone organisms of reef productivity, are facing a crisis due to climate change and anthropogenic activities. A broad survey of reef-building corals is essential for world-wide reef preservation. To this end, direct observations made by coral-specialist divers can be supported by a more convenient method. We improved a recently devised environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding method to identify more than 43 scleractinian genera by sampling 2 L of surface seawater above reefs. Together with direct observations by divers, we assessed the utility of eDNA at 63 locations spanning ~250 km near Okinawa Island. Slopes of these islands are populated by diverse coral genera, whereas shallow “moats” sustain fewer and less varied coral taxa. Major genera recorded by divers included Acropora, Pocillopora, Porites, and Montipora, the presence of which was confirmed by eDNA analyses. In addition, eDNA identified more genera than direct observations and documented the presence of new species. This scleractinian coral-specific eDNA method promises to be a powerful tool to survey coral reefs broadly, deeply, and cost-effectively.