Dr Marina de Oliveira1, Dr Mieke van der Heyde1, Dr Angus D’Arcy Lawrie1, Dr Joshua Newton1, Dr Paul Nevill1
1Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Australia
Biography:
Dr Marina Elisa de Oliveira is a Research Associate at the Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, Curtin University, Australia. She is a molecular ecologist specialising in environmental DNA, biodiversity monitoring and conservation genetics.
She completed her PhD in Ecology and Natural Resources at the Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil. Her research integrates molecular ecology, bioinformatics and ecological analyses to develop innovative approaches for biodiversity monitoring and ecosystem assessment. Marina has contributed to research projects in Australia and Brazil and is currently leading a project investigating the use of eDNA to measure and monitor ecosystem condition. Her research focuses on terrestrial eDNA to support biodiversity conservation and evidence-based environmental management.
Abstract:
Airborne environmental DNA (eDNA) is emerging as a promising approach for terrestrial biomonitoring, with increasing potential for ecological applications. Recent work suggests that airborne eDNA detections reflect recent activity, making this tool suitable to survey seasonal changes in an environment. However, most work so far has been conducted in controlled environments. Thus, the response to natural seasonality remains poorly understood, including how consistently different communities are detected through time and whether these patterns vary among ecosystem types.
This study aimed to investigate temporal variation in airborne eDNA detection across five contrasting locations in Western Australia: a grassland, a tall eucalypt forest, an area with intensive agriculture, a salt lake system, and an urban environment. Passive DNA samplers were deployed at ten sampling points per ecosystem for seven days per sampling event. Sampling was repeated six times across one year, with surveys conducted every two months. We employed three metabarcoding assays targeting bacteria (16S), vertebrates (12S), and plants (trnL). This design allowed us to compare seasonal patterns in biodiversity detection across ecosystems with distinct vegetation structure, climate, land use, and biological communities.
We observed that temporal patterns varied across assays and locations, reflecting differences in biological activity, DNA sources, and environmental context. By revealing the consistency and turnover of airborne biological signals throughout the year, these findings will help inform the temporal replication and survey timing required for reliable terrestrial biodiversity assessments.