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Unraveling the connectivity in fish communities inhabiting ecologically crucial seaweed and seagrass habitats of tropical islands via eDNA.

Yunquan Wu,Jinling Li,Songguang Xie,Hongtian Luo

Published 2025 in Marine Environmental Research

ABSTRACT

Effectively monitoring fish communities is crucial for managing and protecting marine ecosystems. In recent years, environmental DNA (eDNA) sequencing has emerged as a widely used method for such monitoring. The present study utilized eDNA technology to explore the diversity of fish species in the natural seaweed field (Sargassum) and seagrass bed (Enhalus acoroides) in Qinglan Bay, Wenchang (WCQL), Hainan Island; as well as in the seaweed cultivation area (Eucheuma gelatinae) in Haiwei Bay, Changjiang (CJHW), Hainan Island, China. A total of 156 fish species were identified, belonging to 2 classes, 29 orders, 58 families, and 115 genera via eDNA surveys. Different habitats exhibited distinct species compositions. Notably, 11 fish species, including Siganus fuscescens, S. canaliculatus, Photopectoralis bindus, and Scolopsis vosmeri, were detected across various habitats, accounting for approximately 7.05 % of the total fish species. The fish communities in seaweed beds, seagrass beds, and seaweed cultivation areas showed significant heterogeneity. There were remarkable differences in fish species composition between WCQL and CJHW, indicating high geographical heterogeneity. However, within WCQL, similar fish species compositions were observed among different habitats, suggesting connectivity between seaweed and seagrass habitats in the same geographical space. eDNA demonstrated high efficiency and sensitivity in revealing the diversity of fish communities within coastal seaweed and seagrass ecosystems, which serves as an effective tool for monitoring the taxonomic diversity of fish in these nearshore ecosystems. Identifying key species within these ecosystems enables targeted restoration, strengthening coastal ecosystem resilience, protecting local livelihoods, and safeguarding the broader marine environment.

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