Airborne environmental DNA metabarcoding detects more diversity, with less sampling effort, than a traditional plant community survey.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Airborne environmental DNA (eDNA) research is an emerging field that focuses on the detection of species from their genetic remnants in the air. The majority of studies into airborne eDNA of plants has until now either focused on single species detection, specifically only pollen, or human health impacts, with no previous studies surveying an entire plant community through metabarcoding. We therefore conducted an airborne eDNA metabarcoding survey and compared the results to a traditional plant community survey.

Results

Over the course of a year, we conducted two traditional transect-based visual plant surveys alongside an airborne eDNA sampling campaign on a short-grass rangeland. We found that airborne eDNA detected more species than the traditional surveying me

SUBMITTER: Johnson MD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8647488 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature