Variations in terrestrial arthropod DNA metabarcoding methods recovers robust beta diversity but variable richness and site indicators based on exact sequence variants

Abstract Terrestrial arthropod fauna have been suggested as a key indicator of ecological integrity in forest systems. Because phenotypic identification is expert-limited, a shift towards DNA metabarcoding could improve scalability and democratize the use of forest floor arthropods for biomonitoring applications. The objective of this study was to establish the level of field sampling and DNA extraction replication needed for …