Biology subjects

Guzik, M. T.

Publications and source records attributed to Guzik, M. T..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Environmental DNA reveals temporal and spatial variability of invertebrate communities in arid-lands ephemeral water bodies

ContextThroughout semi-arid and arid Australia surface freshwater is rare, and where it does occur, it is often ephemeral. This is the case for freshwater granite rock-holes that occur throughout much of southern Australia. Rock-holes support freshwater invertebrate communities, however, the ongoing threat of climate change means that this ecosystem is likely to experience hydrological disruptions. Rock-holes are also likely to be heavily impacted by invasive vertebrates. However, the ecology of this ecosystem is poorly understood despite its relative ecological significance and the extent of its associated threats. Aims and methodsTo provide a baseline ecological understanding of this ecosystem we documented species richness and variability at a series of rock-holes in the Gawler bioregion in South Australia using an environmental DNA approach. Key resultsMetabarcoding recorded invertebrates from 22 orders and 45 families. Community composition varied among rock-holes and throughout the year, with a peak in species richness in winter. Conclusions and implicationsThese findings demonstrate the importance of these ecosystems to a range of endemic taxa. We propose establishment of monitoring programs, development of custom barcode reference libraries for the rock-hole ecosystem and future research into the likely impacts of climate change on the communities associated with them.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

Environmental DNA and wildlife camera traps uncover complimentary vertebrate visitation patterns at freshwater granite rock-holes

Freshwater ecosystems are in decline globally. In Australia, threatening processes include invasive species, increasing drought frequency, climate change and changes to land use, all of which have been associated with declining vertebrate diversity, particularly in Australias arid interior. Efficient monitoring tools are required to effectively monitor and conserve freshwater ecosystems and their associated vertebrate communities. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is one tool that shows promise for monitoring these systems, but knowledge of how eDNA data compares to more established ecological assessment techniques is limited. To address this knowledge gap, we sampled vertebrate eDNA from seven freshwater water bodies of proposed conservation importance in the Australian arid-lands, at three timepoints to measure visitation and compare our findings to camera trapping data at the same locations. Using eDNA we detected 19 species of vertebrates, including native species (such as macropods, wombats and emus) and invasive species (such as feral goats, cats and foxes). In contrast, camera traps detected 32 species, and was much more successful at detecting bird visitation than eDNA. These communities varied both spatially between rock-holes, and temporally, with summer collection periods being distinct from winter-spring. Our results demonstrate the success of eDNA metabarcoding as a tool for monitoring vertebrate visitation to arid-lands freshwater ecosystems that is complementary to more traditional survey methods such as wildlife camera trapping. Finally, we provide conservation recommendations for these vertebrate communities and discuss the efficacy of eDNA for monitoring freshwater resources in arid-lands environments.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

Towards a global barcode reference library for subterranean fauna

Implementation of environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding for biodiversity discovery and assessment offers a unique opportunity to gain new insights into subterranean communities around the world. However, for effective and meaningful identification of species from anonymous eDNA barcodes, a library of known reference sequences with associated correct taxonomic metadata -also called a barcode reference library (BRL) - is required. Here we propose an open, publicly accessible information resource for eDNA biomonitoring of subterranean fauna following findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) principles that can be expanded globally. While similar proposals have been made by other authors for individual taxon groups, here we have analysed a curated BRL of subterranean fauna compiled from existing GenBank and BOLD DNA sequence databases for a minimum of four genes (COI, 18S, 12S, and 16S rRNA). We demonstrate the value of such an initiative to eDNA metabarcoding where custom libraries are used to characterise entire ecosystems under examination. To examine the effectiveness of a custom BRL, we generated metabarcoding data for an exemplar system at Bungaroo Creek in the Pilbara (Australia), a globally significant location of stygofaunal diversity. We compared results of BLAST queries of eDNA Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) to our BRL and the GenBank nucleotide database, and observed that for all barcoding regions, the custom BRL identified subterranean ZOTUs that could not be identified using GenBank and worked better in tandem. We use the BRL presented here to propose a four-stage plan for developing data infrastructure for subterranean fauna, especially with respect to eDNA metabarcoding data. To our knowledge, this represents the first published instance of a subterranean BRL being tested against real eDNA metabarcoding data. These findings provide a step forward towards robust DNA-based bioassessments for subterranean biodiversity and further emphasise the need for the eDNA community to work together in facilitating a global BRL.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Sci-comm "behind the scenes": Gendered narratives of scientific outreach activities in the life sciences

Science communication (sci-comm) encompasses activities that promote scientific literacy, inform policy, and inspire future scientists. Despite its value, sci-comm is often considered less pretigious than research and other internal academic activities. In Australia, scientific organisations (e.g., learned societies) rely on members to perform a range of sci-comm activities, typically unpaid. In this pilot study, we surveyed 88 Australian life sciences organisations to examine who performs sci-comm and why. Most respondents were early-career women employed in university research positions. Participants largely agreed that organisational sci-comm brought limited career benefits and was often viewed as feminised or "care work" relative to their research roles. Yet, respondents also cited personal and professional gains and most wished to continue in such roles. Our findings suggest "invisible" sci-comm performed for scientific organisations is disproportionately undertaken by women at early career stages, with implications for career progression and gender equity in STEM.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2023

Diving into spring biodiversity: A natural heritage assessment of Australia's Great Artesian Basin discharge wetlands

ContextThe Great Artesian Basin (GAB) feeds thousands of springs in Australias arid centre, supporting relictual species not found elsewhere on Earth. Springs are considerably threatened by ongoing water abstraction by industry. Robust management plans are needed to prevent further extirpations of GAB taxa, but fundamental biodiversity knowledge is lacking. AimsWe aimed to characterise major organismal groups in South Australian GAB springs and surrounding wetlands, their conservation and taxonomic status, and potential biodiversity hotspots and connectivity of spring ecosystems. MethodsFocusing on South Australia as a case study, we conducted a comprehensive review of GAB spring biota based on the published scientific and grey literature. Key resultsAlmost 500 taxa have been recorded from GAB springs, the majority being invertebrates. Community composition is highly heterogeneous among spring clusters and the true extent of spring biodiversity is far greater than currently known. ConclusionsGAB springs have intrinsic value as refugia for both endemics and cosmopolitan taxa. GAB invertebrates are poorly conserved and largely lacking in taxonomic knowledge. We highlight several potential biodiversity hotspots that have been overlooked in the literature. ImplicationsFundamental biodiversity information on the GAB is crucial for decision-making in conservation management, for industry, and for Traditional Custodians. Lay summaryThe Great Artesian Basin (GAB) is Australias largest freshwater resource. Springs fed by the GAB support many species not found elsewhere on Earth, but conservation is hindered by a lack of fundamental knowledge about the plants, animals, and fungi reliant on these habitats. Using South Australia as a case study, we provide a comprehensive review of GAB biodiversity in that state.

ecology↗