Mapping Coral Distribution via Environmental DNA

To track the impacts of environmental change and enable conservation efforts, we first must understand the composition of our ecosystems. Now, a new online resource provides a comprehensive overview of hard coral distribution across the Ryukyu Islands, based on extensive environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis.

Developed by the Marine Genomics Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) together with the Okinawa Environmental Science Center, the Ryukyu Islands Coral eDNA Atlas maps the distribution of reef-building corals detected from seawater samples collected at 231 different locations, including Okinawa Island, the Kerama Islands, Kume Island, and the Yaeyama Islands. Users can explore the relative abundance of different coral genera at each survey site and examine detailed information about local coral communities by selecting individual locations on an interactive map.