Metabarcoding to establish freshwater indicators of environmental degradation in the Indo-Burmese biodiversity hotspot

Biodiversity hotspots of the world are increasingly exposed to anthropogenic pressures and resulting ecosystem breakdowns. However, biotic surveys for ecological status assessment rarely conducted in poorly characterised, yet highly diverse ecosystems tropics subtropics. Here, we addressed challenge developing a monitoring system highland streams Indo-Burmese biodiversity hotspot Bangladesh, using meta-barcoding approach investigate impacts growing on studied invertebrate communities. Species richness beta diversity region were correlated with stressors that varied greatly between sampling sites. A partial-network allowed us identify potential indicator species either good or poor status. Overall, our results document high pronounced responses disturbance these unexplored, but threatened habitats. In combination classical taxonomy approaches, metabarcoding can therefore serve as valuable tool rapidly generate lacking baseline information facilitating conservation vulnerable ecosystems.