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The vulnerable Amazonian manatee is most often found where human activity is low, with a new eDNA-based method most commonly detecting the freshwater mammal in the remote western Amazon

02.04.26 | PLOS

Survey of vulnerable Amazonian manatees using environmental DNA (eDNA): A method for survey in remote field settings

Anthropological influence on manatee eDNA detection. Manatee DNA detections in the three regions based on distance from anthropological influence. Twenty-one samples were detected in rural or protected areas and eight were detected in urban areas. Rural and urban categories were determined by overall amounts of boat traffic, settlements, and pollution in each sample area. Credit: Romoser et al., 2026, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

The vulnerable Amazonian manatee is most often found where human activity is low, with a new eDNA-based method most commonly detecting the freshwater mammal in the remote western Amazon

Article URL : https://plos.io/4pYyIZW

Article title: Survey of vulnerable Amazonian manatees using environmental DNA (eDNA): A method for survey in remote field settings

Author countries: U.S., Brazil

Funding: Donation to the International Sportfish Fund from the estate of George and Carolyn Kelso (KR and KOW), and a productivity research fellowship from the Brazilian National and Technological Development Council—CNPq: IPF (CNPq #316531/2023-5), and TH (CNPq #316532/2023-1).

PLOS One

10.1371/journal.pone.0339410

Survey of vulnerable Amazonian manatees using environmental DNA (eDNA): A method for survey in remote field settings

4-Feb-2026

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Additional Media

Romoser taking a water sample adjacent to Ilhas das Onças near the city of Belém. Credit: Kaitlyn Romoser, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Keywords

Animals Aquatic Animals Life Sciences Marine Biology Marine Life Organismal Biology

Article Information

Journal

PLOS One

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0339410

Article Publication Date

2026-02-04

Article Title

Survey of vulnerable Amazonian manatees using environmental DNA (eDNA): A method for survey in remote field settings

COI Statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Contact Information

Hanna Abdallah

PLOS

onepress@plos.org

How to Cite This Article

APA:

PLOS. (2026, February 4). The vulnerable Amazonian manatee is most often found where human activity is low, with a new eDNA-based method most commonly detecting the freshwater mammal in the remote western Amazon. Brightsurf News. https://www.brightsurf.com/news/19NQKZQ1/the-vulnerable-amazonian-manatee-is-most-often-found-where-human-activity-is-low-with-a-new-edna-based-method-most-commonly-detecting-the-freshwater-mammal-in-the-remote-western-amazon.html

MLA:

"The vulnerable Amazonian manatee is most often found where human activity is low, with a new eDNA-based method most commonly detecting the freshwater mammal in the remote western Amazon." Brightsurf News, Feb. 4 2026, https://www.brightsurf.com/news/19NQKZQ1/the-vulnerable-amazonian-manatee-is-most-often-found-where-human-activity-is-low-with-a-new-edna-based-method-most-commonly-detecting-the-freshwater-mammal-in-the-remote-western-amazon.html.