Researchers from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) have presented a new method for processing environmental samples and
Environmental DNA (eDNA) are substances thatare released by organisms into their environment in the form of pieces of skin, mucus or waste products. In the case of aquatic organisms, this DNA can be found in the surrounding water within a few days.
To check the effectiveness of the method, samplescollected at different times and in different places. In 2017, Yellowstone National Park conducted a pilot sampling program at the confluence of the Kipping and Gardner Rivers. This was followed by more extensive sampling programs at three locations in the upper Yellowstone and Snake rivers.
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The devices used in thisresearch can automatically collect samples every three hours for three weeks. Frequent sampling is key to detecting subtle changes in river health. For example, when a section of a river is just beginning to be colonized by a harmful invasive organism, a relatively small number of individuals are present in it, but the device can detect them.
A large number of samples gives biologists morecertain information on whether harmful species are present in the river. As the authors explained, "a negative result gives some confidence that the target species has no DNA, while the lack of data due to rare samples does not give us any confidence."
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