De link tussen vissen-DNA en de gezondheid van koraalriffen
Een van mijn meest levendige herinneringen uit mijn kindertijd is hoe ik met mijn snorkel en mijn flippers als een onhandige pinguïn over het strand liep. De reden: de bijzondere wereld onder het water ontdekken. Die fascinatie groeide door de jaren heen, mede dankzij de natuurdocumentaires van David Attenborough en avonturenfilms zoals Pirates of the Caribbean. Twintig jaar later heb ik die kinderdroom kunnen realiseren en studeerde ik af als een mariene bioloog, gespecialiseerd in vissen van koraalriffen.
Mariene biodiversiteit in tijden van klimaatopwarming
Koraalriffen behoren tot een van de meest diverse ecosystemen op aarde en ondersteunen ongeveer een kwart van al het mariene leven. Vooral in de Indo-Pacifische regio zijn ze van uiterst belang. De Afrikaanse westkust is bijvoorbeeld een belangrijke hotspot voor biodiversiteit waar meer dan 2.000 vissoorten voorkomen. Naast hun ecologische waarde ondersteunen ze miljoenen mensen die in kustgebieden wonen als bron van voedsel en inkomen. Bovendien bieden ze een natuurlijke bescherming tegen zware stormen.
Helaas worden deze ecosystemen steeds meer bedreigd door de gevolgen van klimaatopwarming. Eén van de meest zichtbare problemen is massale koraalverbleking, ook wel coral bleaching genoemd. Hierbij verliezen koralen hun symbiotische algen die hen van voedsel voorzien en kunnen hierdoor afsterven. Daarnaast zorgen menselijke activiteiten zoals massatoerisme en overbevissing voor bijkomende stress. De combinatie van al deze factoren vermindert het vermogen van koraalriffen om het mariene leven te ondersteunen en verhoogt het risico op een mogelijk onomkeerbare instorting van dit unieke ecosysteem.
Biodiversiteit en de toestand van koralen
Een gezond koraalrif wordt gekenmerkt door een grote diversiteit aan soorten, zoals kleurrijke vissen, schildpadden, kreeften, anemonen en nog veel meer. Binnen deze biodiversiteit spelen bepaalde visgroepen een belangrijke rol als ecologische indicatoren. Sommige soorten zijn typisch voor gezonde koraalriffen, terwijl anderen juist vaker voorkomen in verstoorde ecosystemen. Door deze samenstelling te bestuderen kunnen onderzoekers belangrijke informatie verzamelen over de gezondheid van het rif.
Traditioneel worden visgemeenschappen onderzocht aan de hand van visuele tellingen door snorkelaars of duikers. Ze registreren de aanwezige vissoorten, vaak met behulp van onderwatercamera’s. Een grote beperking van deze aanpak is dat sommige soorten erg schuw zijn. Ze verstoppen zich wanneer duikers in de buurt komen en blijven daarom tijdens visuele inventarisaties onopgemerkt. Daarnaast kunnen vissen met netten worden gevangen om de samenstelling te analyseren, maar deze aanpak is redelijk invasief en kunnen het ecosysteem verstoren.
Een interessant alternatief is het gebruik van milieu-DNA, ofwel environmental DNA (eDNA). Door een staal zeewater te filteren kun je het DNA verzamelen dat organismen in hun omgeving hebben achtergelaten. Door dit DNA vervolgens te analyseren is het mogelijk om vast te stellen welke soorten aanwezig zijn zonder de dieren te vangen of observeren.
Expeditie Kenia
Voor dit onderzoek verzamelde ik eDNA-stalen uit koraalriffen in Kenia, die ik vervolgens in België heb geanalyseerd. Door stalen binnen en buiten beschermde gebieden te verzamelen onderzocht ik in welke mate ze bijdragen aan het herstel en behoud van de biodiversiteit. Tijdens het verzamelen van eDNA-stalen werden er visuele inventarisaties genomen voor verdere vergelijkingen en extra analyses.
De initiële resultaten toonden aan dat eDNA meer visfamilies detecteerde dan de visuele tellingen. Zo werden onder andere soorten geïdentificeerd die tunnels in het zand graven en zich daarin verstoppen. Hoewel deze vissen zelf verborgen blijven, blijft hun DNA in het zeewater achter en kon ik ze met eDNA-technieken wel opsporen.
Helaas vonden de resultaten geen duidelijk verschil in biodiversiteit tussen beschermde en niet-beschermde zones. Beschermende riffen zijn normaal geassocieerd met een hogere soortenrijkom vanwege het visserijverbod. De geografische locatie van de riffen bleek daarentegen wel een belangrijke rol te spelen in de samenstelling van visgemeenschappen. Dit sluit aan bij eerder onderzoek dat suggereerde dat de hoeveelheid levend koraal een grotere invloed kan hebben op de samenstelling dan visserij-activiteiten alleen. Daarnaast wezen de resultaten erop dat sommige van de onderzochte riffen langzaam lijken te veranderen naar een toestand waarin algen domineren. Deze zorgwekkende overgang wordt vaak geassocieerd met sterk gedegradeerde koraalriffen en kan ernstige tot permanente gevolgen hebben voor het mariene leven. Wanneer de structuur en ecologische functie van een ecosysteem op deze manier veranderen, wordt natuurlijk herstel steeds moeilijker.
Om deze bevindingen verder te onderbouwen en met meer zekerheid te bevestigen, voer ik momenteel uitgebreidere analyses uit.
De situatie in 2050
De toekomst van koraalriffen is onzeker. Door de toenemende druk van klimaatverandering en menselijke activiteiten dreigen veel van de riffen die wij vandaag kennen tegen 2050 fundamenteel te kunnen veranderen of zelfs uitsterven. Wetenschappers wereldwijd werken daarom aan oplossingen om deze kwetsbare ecosystemen weerbaarder te maken en hun achteruitgang zoveel mogelijk tegen te gaan.
Voor mij gaat het ook om meer dan het behouden van een ecosysteem. Mijn grootste droom is dat een kind in de toekomst nog met een snorkel en flippers over een strand kan lopen, het water in kan springen en de prachtige onderwaterwereld kan ontdekken, net als ik. Misschien kan die eerste duik uitgroeien tot een levenslange fascinatie en passie voor het beschermen van onze natuur.
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