ANEMONE (All Nippon eDNA Monitoring Network) was established in 2019, led by academic and government scientists in Japan. Its objective is to conduct eDNA-based monitoring of the
biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems, including coastal and pelagic ocean zones, rivers, and lakes, and establish a free publicly accessible biodiversity database. As of January 2022, 77 fixed
monitoring stations, supported by 25 institutions, are in operation. Since 2020, hundreds of local citizens have also contributed to the eDNA-based monitoring with logistical and financial
supports from NPO and private sectors. The survey frequencies by fixed stations vary from weekly to seasonal, while citizen surveys are mostly one-time. The procedure for eDNA
metabarcoding, including water collection, filtration, DNA extraction, and sequencing analysis using MiFish primers, is conducted under the common methodology that follows the
standardized protocol provided by The eDNA Society. The sequence data are translated into taxonomic occurrence, as well as abundance helped by internal standard, by Claident, a highthroughput taxonomic-identification pipeline for metabarcoding data. The eDNA sequence and species occurrence data are made available to the public in a dedicated database, ANEMONE
DB, at Tohoku University. A consortium of academia, government and private sectors was established in June 2022 to study how the eDNA monitoring data can be utilized to provide
solutions to a wide range of nature-related social issues.
Biography
Dr. Kondoh is a professor at Tohoku University, Japan and has been serving as President of The eDNA Society since the society was founded in Japan in 2018. His research is focused primarily on the theoretical understanding of structure and function of ecological community. Data-driven approach to ecological dynamics and construction of Japan’s eDNA-based biodiversity monitoring network (ANEMONE) are of more recent interest. He received several awards in ecology and mathematical biology, including Akira Okubo Prize from SMB (US) and JSMB (Jp).