Monitoring blue biodiversity: examining diversity patterns in coastal and marine environments using environmental DNA

Abstract

The research conducted in this thesis contributes to the expansion of eDNA methods in coastal and marine ecosystems, with a focus on ‘small and scarce’ taxa, such as threatened Syngnathids, as well as ‘broad and unexplored’ ecosystems like the Southern Ocean and the deep-sea. In a broad context, this research generated data and baselines for vulnerable taxa and ecosystems, at a time where careful management and monitoring is pivotal to conserving coastal and marine biodiversity.