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But for many biologists, tracking mammals that travel miles every day and are wary of humans may be nearly impossible. Enter eDNA. “If we want to restore ecosystems, we need to understand how our conservation actions affect endangered and endangered species. But to do that, we need to be able to find even the rarest, most shy, and most mysterious species, “said Michael Schwartz, a senior scientist at the National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish Conservation in Missoula, Montana. . to WIRED. “We need new technologies, such as the ability to detect environmental DNA in the air.
Schwartz, who was not involved in the two new studies, used air, water and soil samples to track large brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus), whose numbers are ravaged by white nose syndrome, a fungal disease that arrived in the United States in 2006. Schwartz and his colleagues published a study in September in the journal Biological conservation which examines eDNA samples from the soil and water outside the caves where the bats spend the night. They also used an air sampler as part of the project to see if they could capture DNA in the air from a bat enclosure in Ohio. Six of the seven filtered air samples successfully detected their eDNA in the air, the study said, but concentrations were low, despite 30 bats housed in the room.
Schwartz says his colleagues are perfecting their aerial sampling techniques and working on a method to collect small amounts of DNA from the snow. This not only allows the USFS team to find out which mammal species have traveled recently over the snow cover, but digging in it also allows them to find evidence that a particular species of animal had traveled through the area months earlier. Schwartz’s group published some results of this project in the journal Biological conservation in 2019. Using snow tracks to detect shy predators such as lynx is cost-effective, efficient and definitive, he said.
Will the technique of air and DNA sampling for tracking genetic material from individuals work? Hypothetically yes, but practically no, says one expert. “It’s possible, but it would be a little more challenging,” said Melania Cristescu, an associate professor of ecological genomics at McGill University who uses eDNA to sample aquatic habitats. Pieces of human DNA from hair, saliva, blood or other genetic material left on surfaces are easier to analyze than air. (Swiss researchers recently solved the mystery of family descent by using DNA from postage stamps affixed to a World War I postcard, demonstrating the stability of the molecule under certain conditions.) But it will take longer to obtain a sufficiently large sample of aerial genetic material, and researchers will have to be very careful not to allow their own DNA to contaminate the filter.
For DNA in the air, time is also a factor. Sampling may not work as well if it is rainy or windy, for example, because these conditions can clear the air of DNA-bearing particles. It is also not clear how well the molecule will withstand heat or bright sunlight. “Does solar radiation break down DNA?” Probably, but we don’t know how fast, “said Clare. “We don’t know how far the wind can scatter DNA. We do not know how temperature can affect the degree of degradation. These are all really interesting questions. “
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