@article{fdi:010095357,
  title = {{I}ntegrating e{DNA} and visual surveys with ocean drift models to monitor marine mammals in tropical waters},
  author = {{N}ikolic, {N}. and {D}ulau, {V}. and {H}oarau, {L}udovic and {P}infield, {R}. and {E}strade, {V}. and {B}arrier, {N}icolas and {C}orse, {E}. and {C}rochelet, {E}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{E}nvironmental {DNA} metabarcoding (e{DNA}) is emerging as a pivotal tool for assessing and monitoring marine biodiversity, exhibiting significant promise for the detection of marine mammals. {T}he primary objective of this study was to evaluate various protocols for e{DNA} sampling of seawater from a small boat in tropical environment, under conditions devoid of cold chain storage or laboratory facilities and constrained by limited financial resources. {O}ur focus was on optimizing the capture of e{DNA} and the subsequent detection of marine mammals in a replicable way. {T}his investigation involved a comparative analysis between marine mammal detections via e{DNA} metabarcoding and traditional visual monitoring. {S}ampling was primarily conducted in close proximity to marine mammal sightings, off {R} & eacute;union {I}sland to evaluate the performance of e{DNA} detections. {R} & eacute;union {I}sland is located in the tropical western {I}ndian {O}cean and serves as a relevant model for this study, where long-term monitoring of cetaceans has been conducted since 2008, thereby enabling a robust comparison between visual sightings and molecular detections. {T}wo sets of primers designed to target the hypervariable regions of mitochondrial 12{S} r{RNA} genes for vertebrates and mammals were used. {P}ositive e{DNA} detections were identified in seven of the nine samples associated with visual sightings of one or more cetacean species. {M}arine mammal {DNA} was successfully amplified for three families ({B}alaenopteridae, {D}elphinidae, and {K}ogiidae) and found to be almost ubiquitously present for {D}elphinidae. {A}dditionally, we investigated the potential influence of particle drift on the dispersal of e{DNA}. {T}o better understand the spatial dynamics and persistence of e{DNA} in the marine environment, the {L}agrangian model {ICHTHYOP} was used to simulate particle drift and assess how oceanographic processes might influence e{DNA} dispersal patterns around {R} & eacute;union {I}sland. {O}ur study explores the potential of utilizing e{DNA} for monitoring cetaceans in tropical regions offering a valuable comparison to traditional visual surveys, and provides recommendations for further enhancements in future e{DNA} studies.},
  keywords = {e{DNA} ; marine mammals ; {R}{\'e}union {I}sland ; visual monitoring ; {REUNION}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{E}nvironmental {DNA}},
  volume = {7},
  numero = {5},
  pages = {e70209 [17 p.]},
  ISSN = {2637-4943},
  year = {2025},
  DOI = {10.1002/edn3.70209},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010095357},
}