Two independent research study groups detect the existence of animals by gathering DNA from air.
Two brand-new research studies published today (January 6, 2022) in the journal Present Biology reveal that environmental DNA (eDNA) gathered from air can be utilized to identify a vast array of animal species and uses an unique, non-invasive approach to keeping track of biodiversity.
Each group utilized a various technique of filtering air-borne eDNA, but both was successful in finding the existence of numerous animal species within and beyond the boundaries of the two zoos.
Bohmanns group gathered air samples using 3 different air sampling devices; one commercial water-based vacuum and two blower fans with filters connected– the tiniest one of these two was the size of a golf ball. They gathered air samples in 3 places: the okapi steady, the Rainforest House and outdoors in between the outdoor enclosures.
Clares team utilized sensitive filters attached to vacuum pumps to gather more than 70 air samples from various areas around the zoo, both inside animal sleeping areas and outdoors in the general zoo environment.
The outcomes from both research studies surpassed their expectations.
” When we examined the collected samples, we had the ability to recognize DNA from 25 various types of animals, such as tigers, lemurs and dingoes, 17 of which were known zoo types. We were even able to gather eDNA from animals that were numerous metres away from where we were evaluating without a significant drop in the concentration, and even from outside sealed buildings. The animals were inside, however their DNA was leaving,” says Clare.
” We were astonished when we saw the results,” states Bohmann. “In simply 40 samples, we discovered 49 species spanning mammal, bird, fish, reptile and amphibian. In the Rainforest House we even spotted the guppies in the pond, the two-toed sloth and the boa. When sampling air in simply one outdoor website, we discovered a lot of the animals with access to an outside enclosure because part of the zoo, for example rhino, kea and ostrich.”
Many of the identified species were kept at the zoos, however incredibly both groups also identified species from locations surrounding the zoo. The wide variety of spotted species reveals the potential that airborne eDNA could be used to spot and keep track of terrestrial animal types in the wild.
” The non-invasive nature of this technique makes it especially important for observing vulnerable or threatened species as well as those in hard-to-reach environments, such as burrows and caves They do not have to show up for us to know they remain in the location if we can pick up traces of their DNA, literally out of thin air,” says Clare. “Air tasting could transform terrestrial biomonitoring and provide brand-new chances to track the structure of animal neighborhoods along with spot invasion of non-native types.”
Associate Prof Kristine Bohmann of the University of Copenhagen gathers air samples. Credit: Christian Bendix
Living organisms shed DNA into their surrounding environments as they communicate with them, and recently, eDNA has actually ended up being an essential tool for types detection in a large range of habitats. EDNA analysis of water samples is consistently used to map species in marine environments. While air surrounds everything on land, it is just now that air-borne eDNA has actually been explored for animal tracking.
Among the main things when demonstrating a novel eDNA sample type is to ensure that outcomes are reputable as eDNA analyses are extremely delicate and vulnerable to contamination.
” Air is a tough substrate to deal with as air surrounds whatever, which means that contamination risk is high. We desired to guarantee that the types we spotted were from the zoo and not for example from the lab. To guarantee that we did not have any pollutant DNA drifting in the air in the lab, we tested air from within the lab and sequenced that too,” states Dr. Christina Lynggaard, who belongs to the Danish team.
For these early research studies, being able to reproduce the work is crucial. The groups had no understanding of each others work up until the research studies were completed but were delighted by the parallel nature of the experiments. Clare and Bohmann agree that having 2 research study groups separately demonstrate that air-borne eDNA can be used to monitor a range of animal types significantly enhances the strength of their work and plainly show the capacity of the technique.
” We did not believe that vacuuming animal DNA from air would work,” Bohmann includes, “This was high risk, high reward science with the prospective to press the borders of vertebrate biomonitoring. Clearly the sky is not the limit.”
The use of air-borne eDNA tasting in natural surroundings will require additional research to open its full capacity, however both research study groups think it could transform the method scientists study and monitor animal biodiversity.
References:
” Measuring biodiversity from DNA in the air AND Airborne ecological DNA for terrestrial vertebrate community tracking” by Elizabeth L. Clare, Chloe K. Economou, Frances J. Bennett, Caitlin E. Dyer, Katherine Adams, Benjamin McRobie, Rosie Drinkwater and Joanne E. Littlefair, 6 January 2022, Current Biology.DOI: 10.1016/ j.cub.2021.11.064.
” Airborne environmental DNA for terrestrial vertebrate community tracking” by Christina Lynggaard, Mads Frost Bertelsen, Casper V. Jensen, Matthew S. Johnson, Tobias Guldberg Frøslev, Morten Tange Olsen and Kristine Bohmann, 6 January 2022, Current Biology.DOI: 10.1016/ j.cub.2021.12.014.
While air surrounds everything on land, it is only now that air-borne eDNA has been explored for animal tracking.
” Air is a difficult substrate to work with as air surrounds everything, which indicates that contamination threat is high. To guarantee that we did not have any pollutant DNA floating in the air in the lab, we sampled air from within the lab and sequenced that too,” states Dr. Christina Lynggaard, who is part of the Danish team.
The findings were made by 2 independent groups of scientists, one based in Denmark, the other based in the United Kingdom and Canada. Both research groups set out to evaluate whether air-borne eDNA might be used to find terrestrial animal species. To do this, the research study teams collected air samples from 2 European zoos, Hamerton Zoo Park, UK, and Copenhagen Zoo, Denmark.
The UK study was led by Assistant Professor Elizabeth Clare from York University, Canada, then senior lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, while the Danish research study was led by Associate Professor Kristine Bohmann from the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen.
To do this, the research study groups gathered air samples from two European zoos, Hamerton Zoo Park, UK, and Copenhagen Zoo, Denmark.
When tasting air in simply one outdoor site, we discovered many of the animals with access to an outdoor enclosure in that part of the zoo, for example kea, rhino and ostrich.”