fundamentals of eDNA

The papers from this week, Denier et al. (2014) and Foote et al. (2012), both explored the complicated decisions surrounding eDNA capture and extraction. Foote et al. (2014) specifically examined how widely varying eDNA protocols can significanlty influence the ability of eDNA to detect biodiversity. As someone completely new to this field, I was once again struck by the many options and challenging choices researchers must make when using eDNA. Perhaps it is the terminology and my inexperience with both eDNA capture/extraction protocols and molecular workflows, but it seems that crafting sound research plans is incredibly challenging in this new and rapidly developing field.

Our discussion resolved some of these fears by bringing it back to the basics: Like all forms of science, what protocol you choose largely depends on your research question and the resources available to you. And when in doubt pilot, pilot, pilot. This discussion and these papers have helped me start to think practically about how my lab group can begin to pilot eDNA methods to examine shellfish populations in the Damariscotta River Estuary.