The environmental DNA (eDNA) research field has undergone dramatic developed in the past decade. From a novel species detection tool embroiled in controversy, the field has progressed with rapid method development to improve our knowledge around the behaviour and ‘ecology’ of eDNA. We have enhanced our understanding of technical aspects including sample collection, storage, capture, extraction and amplification to maximise detection of trace amounts of DNA from environmental samples while minimising contamination. We now have an appreciation of the sensitivity of sampling required for species-specific detection and have developed methods to improve that sensitivity such that species can be successfully detected from progressively smaller concentrations of DNA. eDNA surveys are now being applied as a reliable monitoring technique, with numerous noteworthy applications for invasive species management, native species conservation and biodiversity assessments.
To date, these eDNA surveys have primarily focussed on detecting the presence (or absence) of species through diagnostic mitochondrial DNA. The genetic content available in each environmental sample, however, offers the potential to uncover much more detailed information on the ecology and demography of species present within an environment. This talk will look to what the next decade of eDNA research may bring. It will focus on the progress being made in the areas of population genetics, eRNA, and abundance or biomass estimates and will draw on lessons from the past to highlight current technical limitations in need of focussed research efforts. It will demonstrate the potential to uncover far greater genetic and ecological information from an environmental sample and indicate some of the environmental applications that may be just around the corner.
Biography:
Dr Elise Furlan is molecular genetics based at the University of Canberra, Australia. Her research focuses on molecular genetic techniques to address a variety of ecological questions, and consequently she became one of the first researchers in Australia to develop techniques to analyse environmental DNA (eDNA). She was instrumental in constructing the purpose-built eDNA facilities at the University of Canberra to ensure high quality control in the handling of trace DNA samples. One of her key achievements has been the development of a framework for quantifying eDNA detection sensitivity as a crucial step in quality assurance for eDNA studies. She has also used eDNA metabarcoding for the detection of multiple species within a sample and has applied this to determine the diet composition of various species from scat or stomach contents and to characterize biological communities from water samples. More recently, she has been expanding eDNA approaches to explore i) the relationship between eDNA abundance and species biomass, ii) PCR efficiencies in metabarcoding reactions and relative species abundance, and iii) extracting population genetic data from eDNA samples. Her main objective is to ensure her high quality research results in applied outcomes for conservation, therefore partnerships with government agencies and industry feature heavily in her projects.