Determining the sensitivity of airborne eDNA data
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Current literature suggests airborne eDNA can be used to survey organisms in an area up to ½ km radius effectively. Some studies cite plant eDNA on dust particles travelling vast distances with the wind, with analysis that shows dispersion areas up to 600 km.
In order to inform biodiversity monitoring protocols, we use a combination of 3 approaches to uncover some of the factors underpinning the spatial sensitivity of air eDNA surveying methods:
- Distance decay analysis
- Tracer experiments
- Simulation modelling
With the goal of gaining insight into boundary layer dynamics, meteorological variables that influence optimal sampling height, time of day and sampler designs that can help surveyors maximize eDNA sequence data generated per flow cell.