Why use environmental DNA?

Biodiversity assessments are often difficult as some places can be out of reach and surveying large ecosystems can be time consuming and miss important species. However, all animals, plants, and microbes, leave traces of DNA, and this can be used to reflect their past or present status.

Environmental DNA or eDNA for short, can be collected from a variety of sources, such as water or soil, and be DNA sequenced to identify species. We can detect a range of species from microbes to mammals, fungi to plants, and have ready to go tests for biodiversity assessments. We can also design new tests to monitor invasive species or endangered animals.

We offer a range of broad and specific eDNA tests and extract DNA from a range of sources. See below for some examples of where eDNA can be used, but please reach out if your sample type is not listed below, as we can find alternative methods to extract DNA.