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Geographic source estimation using airborne plant environmental DNA in dust.

Chelsea Lennartz1, Joel Kurucar1, Stephen Coppola1

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Forensic geolocation is enhanced by analyzing airborne plant environmental DNA (eDNA) in settled dust. This method accurately estimates geographic origin, offering valuable forensic insights.

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Forensic Science
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Microscopic analysis of dust components like pollen and spores is useful for forensic geolocation.
  • Manual analysis is time-consuming and requires specialized expertise.
  • Developing automated methods for dust analysis can improve efficiency and accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate a pipeline for forensic geolocation using airborne plant environmental DNA (eDNA) in settled dust.
  • To assess the accuracy and resolution of eDNA-based geolocation.
  • To determine the influence of seasonal variation and species identification on geolocation accuracy.

Main Methods:

  • Airborne plant eDNA from settled dust samples was analyzed using metabarcoding.
  • Identified plant species' geographic distributions were obtained from the USGS BISON database.
  • Probabilistic source estimation was performed using the derived species distributions.

Main Results:

  • Regional geolocation (within 600 km²) was achieved for 47.6% of samples collected over 15 months.
  • Geolocation accuracy improved with a higher number of identified plant species (66.7% success with ≥20 species).
  • Citizen-collected samples from 31 U.S. sites yielded relevant regional attribution in 32.2% of cases.

Conclusions:

  • Airborne plant eDNA analysis in settled dust provides a viable method for regional forensic geolocation within the U.S.
  • The method offers valuable forensic information, especially when sufficient plant species are identified.
  • Seasonal factors significantly impact the number of identifiable plant species and thus geolocation accuracy.