The analysis of eDNA has great potential, not only for monitoring common species, but to genetically detect and identify other extant species that could influence conservation efforts.
It is an interdisciplinary method that brings together traditional field-based ecology with in-depth molecular methods and advanced computational tools. From this data, species presence can be determined, and overall biodiversity assessed. ĮDNA metabarcoding is a novel method of assessing biodiversity wherein samples are taken from the environment via water, sediment or air from which DNA is extracted, and then amplified using general or universal primers in polymerase chain reaction and sequenced using next-generation sequencing to generate thousands to millions of reads. In order to better differentiate between organisms within a sample, DNA metabarcoding is used in which the sample is analyzed and uses previously studied DNA libraries, such as BLAST, to determine what organisms are present. Samples can be analyzed by high-throughput DNA sequencing methods, known as metagenomics, metabarcoding, and single-species detection, for rapid monitoring and measurement of biodiversity. Įxample sources of eDNA include, but are not limited to, feces, mucus, gametes, shed skin, carcasses and hair. In 2020, human health researchers began repurposing eDNA techniques to track the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent years, eDNA has been used as a tool to detect endangered wildlife that were otherwise unseen. As various organisms interact with the environment, DNA is expelled and accumulates in their surroundings from various sources. Environmental DNA or eDNA is DNA that is collected from a variety of environmental samples such as soil, seawater, snow or air, rather than directly sampled from an individual organism.
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