bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/759746; this version posted September 5, 2019. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. Elena Valsecchi1, Jonas Bylemans2, Simon J. Goodman3, Roberto Lombardi1, Ian Carr4, Laura Castellano5, Andrea Galimberti6, Paolo Galli1,7 NOVEL UNIVERSAL PRIMERS FOR METABARCODING eDNA SURVEYS OF MARINE MAMMALS AND OTHER MARINE VERTEBRATES 1 Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milan, Italy 2 Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38010 S. Michele all'Adige (TN), Italy 3 School of Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom 4 Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine, St James’s University Hospital, Leeds LS9 7TF, United Kingdom 5 Acquario di Genova, Costa Edutainment SPA, Area Porto Antico, Ponte Spinola, 16128 Genoa, Italy 6 Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy 7 MaRHE Center, Magoodhoo Island, Faafu Atoll, Republic of Maldives Corresponding author:
[email protected] ORCID ID 0000.0003.3869.6413 Key words: 12S, 16S, cetaceans, pinnipeds, fish, sea turtles Running title: Marine Vertebrate Universal Markers for eDNA Metabarcoding bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/759746; this version posted September 5, 2019. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank Fulvio Maffucci for providing marine turtles DNAa samples. Giudo Gnone of the Aquarium of Genoa for allowing and supporting collection of controlled environmental eDNA samples.