5 July 2018
eDNA For Environmental Monitoring
In a New Zealand first, researchers have developed a nationwide database to integrate and share eDNA data to allow biological diversity across our diverse landscapes to be assessed and compared.
The inventory of research outputs and resources can be found here:
This research is Completed
Overview
The analysis of eDNA requires the extraction and identification of DNA directly from environmental samples such as soil or freshwater.
Environmental DNA, or eDNA, refers to the DNA that is shed or excreted from biological organisms, for example as skin, hair, faeces or urine. It provides a window into the world of biological diversity that is otherwise largely hidden from view.
This powerful new technology is transforming how biological diversity is measured. It is being used by a BioHeritage research team led by Dr Gavin Lear, University of Auckland, to develop a nationwide database – or virtual hub – that integrates eDNA data with existing monitoring programmes.
New Zealand needs state-of-the-art molecular tools, such as eDNA metabarcoding, to detect biosecurity incursions and to assess the state of biodiversity and ecosystem function.
Creating a national database for eDNA information allows these data to be kept in consistent format for use by researchers all over the country, maximising opportunities for biodiversity and biosecurity monitoring.
It has the potential to unite currently disparate data generated across different populations and organisations, plus bring together diverse users including citizen scientists, regional councils, the Department of Conservation, iwi and private landowners.
Highlights
Ultimately, the virtual hub provides robust information that can be used to detect biosecurity threats, assess conservation performance and enable data visualisation.
To date, more than 20 research organisations and consortia are feeding into and using the virtual hub and more are being encouraged to do so. The research team is also collaborating with Australia’s Biomes of Australian Soil Environments (BASE), in line with a strategic intent to partner with relevant international groups in high-impact areas.
In addition to the virtual hub, the research team is exploring potential real-world applications for national biodiversity assessment for primary sectors.
This project is helping the BioHeritage Challenge achieve its goal of empowering New Zealanders so they feel inspired to protect our environment.
Looking for more information?
If you’re looking for any outputs (papers, data etc) from this project that you don’t see on this page please visit our data repository.
Team Members Ngā kaimahi
- Gavin Lear; University of Auckland
Related News
Resource outputs from this programme
Video
Crazy & Ambitious 2 – 2019
A playlist of presentations given at New Zealand’s Biological Heritage Science Challenge conference, Crazy & Ambitious 2. 20 – 21 May 2019, Te Papa Wellington.
Video
Crazy & Ambitious – 2017
A playlist of presentations given at New Zealand’s Biological Heritage Science Challenge inaugural conference, Crazy & Ambitious. 8-10 May 2017, Te Papa Wellington
Publication
Environmental DNA sampling detects between-habitat variation in soil arthropod communities, but is a poor indicator of fine-scale spatial and seasonal variation
Arthropods have been useful and important ecological indicators of environmental change, but morphological identification of key groups is labour-intensive and expertise-demanding. Molecular methods using environmental…
Publication
DNA metabarcoding of prey reveals spatial, temporal and diet partitioning of an island ecosystem by four invasive wasps
Invasive alien species can cause detrimental changes in native ecosystems, but our understanding of the interactions between multiple exotic species is limited. To evaluate the…
Publication
Polygenic basis for adaptive morphological variation in a threatened Aotearoa New Zealand bird, the hihi (Notiomystis cincta)
To predict if a threatened species can adapt to changing selective pressures, it is crucial to understand the genetic basis of adaptive traits, especially in…
Publication
Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis as a tool to estimate absolute abundances from compositional 16S rRNA bacterial metabarcoding data.
Microbial biodiversity monitoring through the analysis of DNA extracted from environmental samples is increasingly popular because it is perceived as being rapid, cost-effective, and flexible concerning the…
Publication
Temporal variation in soil bacterial communities can be confounded with spatial variation
Investigating temporal variation in soil bacterial communities advances our fundamental understanding of the causal processes driving biological variation, and how the composition of these important…
Publication
From pine to pasture: land use history has long-term impacts on soil bacterial community composition and functional potential
Bacterial communities are crucial to soil ecosystems and are known to be sensitive to environmental changes. However, our understanding of how present-day soil bacterial communities…
Publication
A Systematic Review of Sources of Variability and Uncertainty in eDNA Data for Environmental Monitoring
Environmental DNA (eDNA) is becoming a standard tool in environmental monitoring that aims to quantify spatiotemporal variation for the measurement and prediction of ecosystem change.…
Publication
Using soil bacterial communities to predict physico-chemical variables and soil quality
Soil ecosystems consist of complex interactions between biological communities and physico-chemical variables, all of which contribute to the overall quality of soils. Despite this, changes…
Publication
Perspectives on the Impact of Sampling Design and Intensity on Soil Microbial Diversity Estimates
Soil bacterial communities have long been recognized as important ecosystem components, and have been the focus of many local and regional studies. However, there is…
Publication
Connecting through space and time: catchment-scale distributions of bacteria in soil, stream water and sediment
Terrestrial and aquatic environments are linked through hydrological networks that transport abiotic components from upslope environments into aquatic ecosystems. However, our understanding of how bacteria…
Publication
DNA metabarcoding as a tool for invertebrate community monitoring: a case study comparison with conventional techniques
When conserving native biodiversity, it is particularly important to consider invertebrates, a diverse and functionally important component of biodiversity. However, their inclusion in monitoring and…
Publication
Methods for the extraction, storage, amplification and sequencing of DNA from environmental samples
Advances in the sequencing of DNA extracted from media such as soil and water offer huge opportunities for biodiversity monitoring and assessment, particularly where the…
Publication
Opportunities and limitations for DNA metabarcoding in Australasian plant-pathogen biosecurity
Protecting plants from new pathogen incursions requires effective surveillance practices. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding shows considerable promise for detecting invasive organisms in terrestrial and aquatic…
Publication
A comparison of the ability of PLFA and 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding to resolve soil community change and predict ecosystem functions
Soil bacterial community structure has traditionally been measured using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiling. However, with the development of high-throughput sequencing technologies and metabarcoding techniques,…