What is it about?

An organism's diet has wide-ranging consequences for their survival, but the diet of zooplankton such as lobster larvae is difficult to study because their stomachs are smaller than a pinhead. Using both microscopy and eDNA we showcase a mixed-methods approach to uncover the diet of these small creatures, and provide recommendations for future studies.

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Why is it important?

Small, numerous zooplankton are foundational in marine food-webs. Bottom dwelling species like lobsters and crabs spend only their earliest life stages among the zooplankton where they benefit from the bountiful food supply. Devising methods to study their diet reveals food-web linkages that impact growth and survival.

Perspectives

As new technology becomes available there can be a tendency to adopt a "new is always better" approach to science. With this article my coauthors and I demonstrate that traditional and cutting-edge techniques can complement each other for deeper insight. My hope is that our work helps others strengthen their own research, opening a window on previously obscure food-webs.

Alexander Ascher
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Developing the DNA sequencing methodologies was a major step in opening a window on the diet of larval lobster while preserving the value of visual inspection by microscopy. This approach is widely applicable to other species, whether marine or terrestrial..

Richard Wahle
University of Maine

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Contemporary eDNA methods complement conventional microscopy in zooplankton diet studies: Case study with American lobster postlarvae, PLOS One, June 2025, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0325889.
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