Revolutionizing organic pollution impact assessment on benthic invertebrate communities using DNA-based methods

海洋生境的保护需要适当的手段，以一贯和准确地检测与多种排放有关的污染的影响，包括城市废水、雨水、工业废物和农业径流。确定污染影响的传统方法是通过沉积物和水质监测沿着评估生活在海洋沉积物中的无脊椎动物物种的组成。20多年来，Biologica环境研究服务有限公司为政府和行业客户提供基于分类学的专业物种鉴定服务。然而，这一活动具有挑战性，需要大量劳动力;必须从海洋沉积物样品中精心分离生物并仔细编目，而且这些生物往往不够完整，无法进行分类鉴定。成本和时间的投入极大地限制了分类调查的空间和时间分辨率。Biologica已确定需要补充能力，以便基于DNA技术进行更快、更有效的评估。利用Helbing实验室丰富的生物分子经验，Biologica打算与维多利亚大学建立一种新的合作关系，其总体目标是开发一种基于DNA的工具箱，以评估生活在海洋沉积物中的动物比例，作为污染指标。创建分类学验证的协议将使Biologica成为分类学服务行业的全球领导者，并通过提供工具和培训来使用DNA序列验证身份，确保Biologica核心服务的可持续性。拟议的项目为加拿大提供了一个机会：（1）通过有针对性地利用分子生物学的进步提供增强的分类服务，（2）改善和扩大各行业和市政当局的监测计划;（3）推动基于分类的公司的创新，鼓励其可持续性和长寿，（4）提高我们对太平洋西北海岸沿着未充分研究的海洋生境生物多样性的认识。

The protection of marine habitats requires appropriate means to consistently and accurately detect impacts ofpollution associated with multiple discharges including municipal wastewater, stormwater, industrial waste andagricultural runoff. Traditional means for determining pollution impact has been through sediment and waterquality monitoring along with evaluating the composition of invertebrate species living in marine sediments.For over 20 years, Biologica Environmental Research Services Ltd. has provided expert species identificationservices based upon taxonomy for government and industry clients. However, this activity is challenging andlabour-intensive; organisms must be painstakingly isolated and carefully catalogued from marine sedimentsamples and are often not intact enough for a taxonomic identification. The cost and time commitment severelylimits the spatial and temporal resolution of taxonomic surveys. Biologica has identified the need for acomplementary capacity for faster, more efficient assessments based upon DNA technologies. Using theextensive biomolecular experience of the Helbing lab, Biologica intends to form a new collaborativerelationship with the University of Victoria with the overall objective of developing a DNA-based toolbox toassess the proportions of animals living in marine sediments as pollution indicators. The creation oftaxonomically-verified protocols would place Biologica as a global leader in the taxonomic services industryand ensure the sustainability of Biologica's core services by providing the tools and training to verifyidentifications using DNA sequences. The proposed project represents an opportunity for Canada to: (1)provide enhanced taxonomy services through targeted capitalization of advances in molecular biology, (2)improve and expand monitoring programs for various industries and municipalities; (3) drive innovation oftaxonomy-based companies encouraging their sustainability and longevity, and (4) improve upon ourunderstanding of the biodiversity of understudied marine habitats along the Pacific Northwestern coast.