Multigenerational Tracking of Reef-Building Corals Using CRISPR-Cas9induced Genetic Barcodes and eDNA Metabarcoding
Moonier, M. M.; Bay, L. K.; Sato, Y.; Mocellin, V.; Cleves, P.; Lister, R.; Thomas, L.
Show abstract
Widespread biodiversity loss driven by human activity has intensified global efforts to restore degraded ecosystems. Yet a key challenge remains: how to track restored individuals and their offspring over time and space to assess the true impact of restoration? This is especially pressing for coral reefs, which support a quarter of all marine species, are in severe decline globally, and are now the focus of growing restoration initiatives worldwide. Here, we demonstrate a novel approach that combines genome editing and environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring to enable scalable, non-invasive tracking of individual corals and their offspring. Using CRISPR-Cas9, we introduced unique genetic barcodes into non-coding regions of the Acropora millepora genome. These barcodes - stable, heritable, and distributed across the genome - will allow for individual-level identification over multiple generations. We show that these barcodes can be reliably detected in surrounding seawater using eDNA metabarcoding, offering a powerful, non-destructive tool for tracking corals in situ. Together, this approach provides a proof-of-concept for precision monitoring of restoration outcomes, with broad applicability across species and ecosystems.
Matching journals
The top 6 journals account for 50% of the predicted probability mass.
Similar papers in this journal
- TeloSearchLR: an algorithm to detect novel telomere repeat motifs using long sequencing reads 93%
- A High-quality Oxford Nanopore Assembly of the Hourglass Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus cruciger) Genome 92%
- A reference genome for the long-term kleptoplast-retaining sea slug Elysia crispata morphotype clarki 92%
Similar papers in this journal
- A chromosome level genome of Astyanax mexicanus surface fish for comparing population-specific genetic differences contributing to trait evolution. 94%
- A comparative analysis of planarian genomes reveals regulatory conservation in the face of rapid structural divergence 94%
- Efficient population modification gene-drive rescue system in the malaria mosquito Anopheles stephensi 93%
Similar papers in this journal
- STAGdb: a 30K SNP genotyping array and Science Gateway for Acropora corals and their dinoflagellate symbionts 94%
- Gene knockdown via electroporation of short hairpin RNAs in embryos of the marine hydroid Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus 94%
- Laboratory culture of the California Sea Firefly Vargula tsujii (Ostracoda: Cypridinidae): Developing a model system for the evolution of marine bioluminescence 93%
Similar papers in this journal
"Similar papers" are the closest papers from that journal in the model's embedding space. They show what the match is built on, but the ranking comes mostly from a classifier over the whole training set, not from these examples alone.