Fate, Transport, and Applications of Environmental DNA (eDNA)

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is genetic material from organisms that can be recovered from the environment. eDNA is typically contained in things like shed skin, scales, mucus, excretions, or decomposing materials.

Environmental engineers and forensic scientists have commonly used molecular methods to extract, amplify, sequence, and quantify DNA sequences of interest from the environment for applications from pathogen source tracking to crime scene analysis.  This study of genetic material recovered from the environment is broadly known as metagenomics.

eDNA monitoring of vertebrates is a branch of the developing science of metagenomics.  Since DNA persists in the environment for a finite period of time, scientists and engineers can use recovered genetic material as an indicator to learn something about the organisms that have been there recently.  This type of molecular monitoring allows for sampling without having to physically handle the organisms themselves, which is especially useful for rare, sensitive, or hard to capture organisms, and where time, money, or personnel are limited.   By identifying and measuring the eDNA signal, researchers hope to relate eDNA concentrations back to organism parameters (e.g., abundance, biomass, recent movement, population health, etc.).

Some of the fundamental science behind the fate and transport of eDNA in aquatic environments is still being developed.  For example, eDNA is known to move among several environmental compartments, including the water column, sediments, surface films, and biofilms. In addition, mixing and resuspension can redistribute material.  By examining the concentrations of eDNA in these four compartments over time, a basic transport model could be developed.

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