Pacific eDNA Coastal Observatory (PECO)

Adapted from the PECO website.

The Pacific eDNA Coastal Observatory (PECO) - a coastwide biogeographic observatory in the Northeast Pacific region - was launched in 2021 by the Hakai Institute in collaboration with the Sunday Lab at McGill University, with the aim of building an annual observatory. This project constitutes a coordinated single time-point latitudinal cross-section of eDNA collections within seagrass beds up and down the coast. Data are being used to assess broad-scale biogeographical distributions of marine biodiversity across time, with an initial focus on fish. 

Coordinated sampling allows us to track evidence of fish distributions and their responses to climate drivers at scales never before possible. We are mapping the trail of each fish species as it changes across the coastline from year to year, across international boundaries, at local and global scales all at once.

~ Jennifer Sunday, PECO Principal Investigator, McGill University Sunday Lab

The specific aims of PECO are to: 1) provide a synoptic assessment of seagrass-associated fish distributions along the Pacific coast; 2) determine a subset of fish species for which biogeography can be determined using eDNA metabarcoding; 3) produce a highly-replicated assessment of seagrass community structure for answering questions about community assembly against predictors; and, 4) assess climate sensitivity based on species distributions and observed responses. The project also aims to demonstrate the feasibility of a community of practice for large-scale, partnered, and multi-national environmental eDNA monitoring.

For more information visit the PECO website.