Environmental nucleic acids: A field-based comparison for monitoring freshwater habitats using eDNA and eRNA.

ABSTRACT: Nucleic acids released by organisms and isolated from environmental substrates are increasingly being used for molecular biomonitoring. While environmental DNA (eDNA) has received much attention, the potential of environmental RNA as a biomonitoring tool remains under-explored. Several recent studies using paired DNA and RNA metabarcoding of bulk samples suggest that RNA might better reflect "metabolically active" parts of the community. However, such studies mainly capture organismal eDNA and eRNA. For larger eukaryotes, isolation of extra-organismal RNA will be important, but viability needs to be examined in a field-based setting. In this study we evaluate (a) whether extra-organismal eRNA release from macroeukaryotes can be detected given its supposedly rapid degradation, and (b) if th

SUBMITTER: Littlefair JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9796649 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature