Airborne DNA is being used to detect insect species, a breakthrough for ecologists

This story was originally published by The Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

Insect DNA has been gathered from the air and for the first time used to detect 85 insect species, according to scientists from Lund University in Sweden.

Bees, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, and ants have been identified in a study which raises hopes that airborne environmental DNA (eDNA) could become a useful tool in monitoring insect abundance and declines in biodiversity.

The study, which sampled air from three sites in Sweden, also detected evidence of plants, algae, fungi, and vertebrates, including a woodpigeon, fieldfare, hedgehog, red squirrel and short-tailed field vole, alongside the presence of domesticated animals – chickens, cows, and dogs.

The results, which have yet to be peer-reviewed, were presented last month at the British Ecological Society’s Ecology Across Borders conference, by the lead author, Fabian Roger.

“In the face of the biodiversity crisis, we desperately need better information on the status and distribution of species,” said Roger. “Our study is a proof of concept that shows that we can detect DNA from insects and vertebrates from air collected under natural conditions. This opens many exciting possibilities for species monitoring and detection, which could allow us to comprehensively monitor biodiversity at large spatial and temporal scales.”

Sampling of eDNA has so far focused on aquatic ecosystems, and is undertaken by ecological consultants surveying for great crested newts.

In this study, researchers compared airborne eDNA sampling with traditional insect surveys, including moth light traps and transect walks, which usually only pick up larger insect species.

While traditional light traps detected 48 species of moth, just nine moth species were detected with eDNA, although five of these were missed by the traditional traps. Of the 36 species of butterfly and bee identified by a transect walk, eDNA sampling detected five species.

The eDNA sampling was more successful at picking up a wider range of arthropod species, finding a total of 67 species at the light trap and 20 at the transect site.

According to Roger, developing airborne eDNA sampling to complement traditional methods will require increasing the sensitivity of the sampling to achieve more reliable detection and developing a greater understanding of how airborne eDNA is generated, transported and how it degrades.

“We are at the very beginning of exploring airborne environmental DNA for anything other than bacteria, pollen, or spores – and even there we have only scratched the surface,” he said. “Just because it doesn’t work perfectly out of the box doesn’t mean it won’t work ever, and the potential is huge.”


Note: This article have been indexed to our site. We do not claim legitimacy, ownership or copyright of any of the content above. To see the article at original source Click Here

Related Posts
'A big cosmological mystery': Newfound cosmic corkscrew defies our understanding of the universe thumbnail

‘A big cosmological mystery’: Newfound cosmic corkscrew defies our understanding of the universe

An artist's illustration of the Big Ring and the Great Arc near the northern constellation of Boötes the Herdsman. (Image credit: Stellarium/University of Central Lancaster) Astronomers have discovered a cosmic "ring" that's so enormous, it defies explanation with our best theories of the universe.Named the Big Ring, the gigantic spiral of galaxies and galaxy clusters
Read More
Do any animals keep pets like humans do? thumbnail

Do any animals keep pets like humans do?

Koko the gorilla with her gray tabby cat, named All Ball. It's unclear if connections between animals like Koko and All Ball are similar to a parent adopting a child or an individual adopting a pet. (Image credit: Photo by Ron Cohn; Copyright The Gorilla Foundation/koko.org) People love their pets. Around 60% of the U.S.
Read More
The Most Important Climate Stories of 2023 Aren't All Bad News thumbnail

The Most Important Climate Stories of 2023 Aren’t All Bad News

December 27, 20236 min readIn 2023 climate news was a mixed bag: we saw unrelenting heat but also glimmers of hope of progress toward reducing greenhouse gas emissionsBy Andrea ThompsonA person rides a bicycle as heat waves shimmer, causing visual distortion, as people walk in “the Zone,” Phoenix, Ariz.’s largest homeless encampment, amid the city’s
Read More
The best winter gloves to keep away frigid fingers thumbnail

The best winter gloves to keep away frigid fingers

While the expression “cold hands, warm heart” is considered a compliment, we prefer to have a warm heart and warm hands. With the best winter gloves, you can rest assured your hands will be comfortably warm and dry even in the coldest of situations. The best gloves will fit your hand properly while still allowing…
Read More
Omicron may cause milder disease. A lab study hints at why. thumbnail

Omicron may cause milder disease. A lab study hints at why.

Home News A coronavirus particle binds to a human cell. (Image credit: KATERYNA KON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images) The omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 may be less efficient at infiltrating the lungs and spreading from cell to cell, compared with other versions of the coronavirus, early studies of human cells in a lab dish suggest. This…
Read More
Index Of News
Consider making some contribution to keep us going. We are donation based team who works to bring the best content to the readers. Every donation matters.
Donate Now

Subscription Form

Liking our Index Of News so far? Would you like to subscribe to receive news updates daily?

Total
0
Share