Is it worth the extra mile? Comparing environmental DNA and RNA metabarcoding for vertebrate and invertebrate biodiversity surveys in a lowland stream.

ABSTRACT: Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding has emerged as a promising approach to assess biodiversity and derive ecological status classes from water samples. However, a limitation of eDNA surveys is that detected DNA molecules may originate from other places or even dead organisms, distorting local biodiversity assessments. Environmental RNA (eRNA) metabarcoding has recently been proposed as a complementary tool for more localized assessments of the biological community. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of eDNA and eRNA metabarcoding for inferring the richness and species distribution patterns of vertebrates and invertebrates in a Central European lowland river. We collected water samples and analyzed them using a 12S marker for vertebrates and a COI marker for invertebrates. We

SUBMITTER: Macher TH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11512801 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature