Exploring Deepwater Ecosystems with eDNA

Between September 23-27, 2019, a team of ocean scientists and engineers from WHOI and Lehigh University used NOAA’s research vessel Manta and the newly developed autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Mesobot to collect environmental DNA (eDNA) in order to explore the biodiversity of deepwater ecosystems near Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico. eDNA, short for environmental DNA, is the genetic material that organisms leave behind in the water column. As with forensic science, marine species are able to be identified by the invisible signs of their presence constantly being left in the environment. The cruise was a collaboration among project PIs and chief scientists Jill McDermott and Santiago Herrera from Lehigh University (Herrera is also a guest investigator at WHOI) and Annette Govindarajan and Dana Yoerger from WHOI. As part of the Ocean Twilight Zone Project, WHOI researchers Dr. Govindarajan and Dr. Yoerger developed a novel pumping and filtering system mount