Researchers report results of environmental DNA sampling, showing that the distribution of both a stationary bryozoan and its parasite could be reconstructed from environmental DNA signals, which are left behind by organisms yet subject to transport and decay processes in rivers; the results suggest that environmental DNA may be a tool for assessing biodiversity over large spatial scales.
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Article #18-13843: "Estimating species distribution and abundance in river networks using environmental DNA," by Luca Carraro, Hanna Hartikainen, Jukka Jokela, Enrico Bertuzzo, and Andrea Rinaldo.
MEDIA CONTACT: Andrea Rinaldo, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, SWITZERLAND; tel: (41) 21 693 8034; e-mail: andrea.rinaldo@epfl.ch
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences