skip to main content
Back to Project Search

Testing the efficiency of species-specific primers to detect marine pests using environmental DNA

Project

Project Details

Program
Marine Science
Field of Study
Environmental DNA
Division
Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Faculty Lab Link
https://bemlab.kaust.edu.sa/

Project Description

Population outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish (CoTS) have detrimental effects on coral reef ecosystems threatening their sustainability and compromising restoration efforts. Due to the cryptic behavior and low visibility of juveniles, traditional methods relying on underwater visual surveys to detect the presence of CoTS are not effective at providing early warnings before outbreaks. Advancements on the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) in biodiversity monitoring have recently enabled CoTS detection on the Great Barrier Reef. However, the suitability of this approach for the detection of CoTS in the Red Sea has not been explored yet. This project aims to develop and test species-specific assays for CoTS. The experiments will be conducted in aquaria with different densities of CoTS collected along the Red Sea. The validation of the approach will be conducted using eDNA (from water samples) collected along transects at different reefs from the north and the central Red Sea. The student will participate in the aquarium-based experiments including the filtration of water samples and DNA extraction, and will be involved in the experiments to test the performance of the species-specific primers using real-time PCR. This project will serve as a foundation to enable the early detection and response to CoTS outbreaks and to validate eDNA as a monitoring tool that could help minimize coral reef damage and inform targeted management interventions.

About the Researcher

Susana Carvalho
Associate Professor of Practice of Marine Science , Marine Science Sector Manager
Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division

Education Profile

  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Portuguese Institute for Fisheries and Sea Research and Institute of Marine Sciences of Andalusia, Spain, 2008-2012
  • Ph.D., University of Algarve, Portugal,
  • M.Sc., University of Aveiro, Portugal,
  • B.Sc., Biology, University of Aveiro, Portugal, 1998

Research Interests

Prof. Carvalho's expertise blends the fields of marine ecology, ecotoxicology, and coastal management. Prof. Carvalho is interested in untangling the role natural and anthropogenic stressors play in shaping marine biodiversity patterns and ecosystem functioning, using field and laboratory-based approaches. Her research advances fundamental knowledge of how marine organisms respond to environmental changes and the intrinsic patterns driving those changes. While her research aims to identify the main threats to the marine environment it has an applied aspect by incorporating the views of stakeholders into management pathways. Her goal is to keep fostering interactions with local stakeholders to improve decision-making in the field of marine science and ultimately contribute to the sustainability of the Red Sea.

Selected Publications

  • Peixoto RS, Voolstra CR, Sweet M, Duarte CM, Carvalho S, Vilela H, Lunshof JE, Gram L, Woodhams DC, Walter J, Roik A, Hentschel U, Thurber RV, Daisley B, Ushijima B, Daffonchio D, Costa R, Keller-Costa T, Bowman J, Rosado AS, Reid G, Mason CE, Walke JB, Thomas T, Berg G (2022) Harnessing the microbiome to prevent global biodiversity loss. Nature Microbiology, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-022-01173-1
  • Aylagas E, Atalah J, SA¡nchez-Jerez P, Pearman J, Casado N, Asensi J, Toledo-Guedes K, Carvalho S (2021) A step towards the validation of bacteria biotic indices using DNA metabarcoding for benthic monitoring. Molecular Ecology Resources 21:1889-1903
  • Aylagas E, Borja A, Pochon X, Zaiko A, et al., Carvalho S (2020) Translational Molecular Ecology in practice: Linking DNA-based methods to actionable marine environmental management. Science of the Total Environment 744:140780
  • Ellis JI, Jamil T, Anlauf H, Coker D, Curdia J, Dasari H, Hewitt J, Jones BH, Krokos G, Roth F, Carvalho S, Hoteit I (2019) Multiple stressor effects on coral reef ecosystems in the Red Sea. Global Change Biology 25:4131-4146
  • Carvalho S, Aylagas E, Villalobos R, Kattan Y, Berumen M, Pearman JK (2019) Beyond the visual: introducing the hidden reef cryptobiome. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 286: 20182697

Desired Project Deliverables

A short communication or a scientific presentation in a conference.

Recommended Student Background

Environmental Sciences
Molecular Biology
On this page