Thursday May 29, 2025
PhysOrg —
From southbound cane toads to invasive weeds and fluctuating fish stocks, a novel technique called eDNA has revealed what’s in NSW waterways—and how it’s influenced by natural disasters.
The major study of NSW estuaries, led by Southern Cross University, has created the first biodiversity map of major river mouths and coastal tributaries along a 1,000 kilometer stretch of coastline, using a novel technique called eDNA.
Environmental DNA, or eDNA, is similar to the technology employed to detect COVID fragments in wastewater during the COVID-19 pandemic. This highly sensitive technology is being increasingly used around the world to identify the origins of organic material, from algae blooms in lakes to critically endangered species in the ocean.
It relies on discarded genetic material in the environment, such as scales, feces, fur or skin.