Table 4. Sample preparation and comparison of species detection using metabarcoding based on three DNA extraction methods.
Extraction methods are based on non-destructive (ND), homogenization (H) and dissection (D) in samples of known taxonomic composition containing 80, 100 or 120 individuals.
| Extraction | Sample A | Sample B | Sample C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| method | 80 individuals | 100 individuals | 120 individuals (technical replicate) | |
| Time taken to prepare sample for DNA extraction (min) | ND | 10 | 15 | 10 |
| H | 7 | 10 | 8 | |
| D | 21 | 20 | 27 | |
| Number of DNA extraction tubes required | ND | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| H | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
| D | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Number of species detected with HTS | ND | 46 | 33 | 40 (40) |
| H | 38 | 45 | 37(38) | |
| D | 47 | 41 | 41 (42) | |
| % of expected species or genera detected with metabarcoding compared to samples of known taxonomic composition | ND | 93 | 89 | 98 (98) |
| H | 88 | 100 | 98 (100) | |
| D | 98 | 100 | 98 (100) |