Using metabarcoding to ask if easily collected soil and leaf-litter samples can be used as a general biodiversity indicator

• Published in: Ecological indicators Vol. 46; pp. 379 - 389
• Main Authors: Yang, Chenxue, Wang, Xiaoyang, Miller, Jeremy A., de Blécourt, Marleen, Ji, Yinqiu, Yang, Chunyan, Harrison, Rhett D., Yu, Douglas W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Arthropoda; arthropods; Biodiversity; Biological and medical sciences; Biological diversity; canopy; China; Climate change; Climatology. Bioclimatology. Climate change; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; DNA barcoding; Earth, ocean, space; Ecology; Environmental degradation: ecosystems survey and restoration; environmental monitoring; eukaryotic cells; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Forestry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; General forest ecology; Generalities. Production, biomass. Quality of wood and forest products. General forest ecology; genetic markers; habitats; Indicators; Leaf litter; Malaise traps; Metabarcoding; Meteorology; plant litter; rapid methods; Restoration ecology; Sampling; Sequencing; Soil (material); Soil fauna; soil sampling; species diversity; Surveillance monitoring; Synecology; Systematic conservation planning; Targeted monitoring; terrestrial ecosystems; Tropical forest; Vietnam; Vietnam; China, People's Rep; China; Climate change; Metabarcoding; Soil fauna; DNA barcoding; Surveillance monitoring; Leaf litter; Tropical forest; Systematic conservation planning; Biodiversity; Targeted monitoring; Restoration ecology; Litter; Ecological indicator; Dynamical climatology; DNA; Ecological recovery; Environmental monitoring; Environmental protection

•Metabarcoding removes the taxonomic impediment from large-scale arthropod samples.•However, sampling itself continues to be slow, costly, and vulnerable to contamination.•Metabarcoding recovers valid ecological information from soil and leaf litter.•Soil and leaf litter are easy to collect.•Metabar...