Developing and Evaluating Aquatic Passive Sampling of Environmental DNA for Microbial Community Profiling.

Area of Science:

• Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding
• Microbial ecology
• Aquatic biodiversity monitoring

Background:

• Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is revolutionizing biodiversity assessment.
• Sample collection, particularly active filtration, presents a significant bottleneck.
• Passive sampling is a potential alternative for eDNA collection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate passive sampling for microbial biodiversity monitoring.
• To compare the performance of passive sampling against active filtration.
• To optimize passive sampling parameters for eDNA extraction.

Main Methods:

• Developed passive sampling devices for eDNA collection.
• Tested various submersion times (up to 24h) and eDNA extraction methods (enzymatic vs. mechanical).
• Compared passive sampling results with active filtration in estuarine and coastal environments.

Main Results:

• Passive sampling for 24h with enzymatic extraction maximized eDNA yield and biodiversity.
• Passive sampling consistently outperformed active filtration, increasing eDNA yields by >100% and diversities by >50%.
• Passive sampling revealed significantly different microbial community compositions and higher sensitivity in detecting environmental factors and bioindicators.

Conclusions:

• Passive sampling is an efficient and practical method for microbial biodiversity monitoring in aquatic environments.
• This method overcomes limitations of active filtration, offering enhanced eDNA detection.
• Passive sampling improves environmental assessment by increasing sensitivity and detection capabilities.