Spider webs as eDNA samplers: Biodiversity assessment across the tree of life

Gregorič, Matjaž; Kutnjak, Denis; Bačnik, Katarina; Gostinčar, Cene; Pecman, Anja; Ravnikar, Maja; Kuntner, Matjaž

doi:10.1111/1755-0998.13629

Cited by 24 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 132 publications

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“…Sampling terrestrial vertebrates using eDNA often involves targeting indirect sources; for example, local waterways where runoff has carried terrestrial eDNA into the aquatic system (Mena et al, 2021; Serrao et al, 2021) and invertebrates, which sample other animals by virtue of their feeding ecologies including dung beetles (Drinkwater, Williamson, et al, 2021), leeches (Drinkwater, Jucker, et al, 2021), and carrion flies (Calvignac‐Spencer, Leendertz, Gilbert, & Schubert, 2013). More recently, swabbing vegetation (Lyman et al, 2022) and spider webs (Gregorič et al, 2022) has shown potential for detecting vertebrates. Many of these indirect methods of eDNA collection rely on an intermediate “vector” (leeches, flower parts, etc.)…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Airborne eDNA documents a diverse and ecologically complex tropical bat and other mammal community

et al. 2023

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Environmental (e)DNA has rapidly become a powerful biomonitoring tool, particularly in aquatic ecosystems. This approach has not been as widely adopted in terrestrial communities where the methods of vertebrate eDNA collection have varied from the use of secondary collectors such as blood feeding parasites and spider webs, to washing surfaces of leaves and soil sampling. Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of direct collection of eDNA from air sampling, but none have tested how effective airborne eDNA sampling might be in a biodiverse environment. We used three prototype samplers to actively sample a mixed neotropical bat community in a partially controlled environment. We assess whether airborne eDNA can accurately characterize a high diversity community with skewed abundances and to determine if filter design impacts DNA collection and taxonomic recovery. Our study provides evidence for the accuracy of airborne eDNA as a detection tool and highlights its potential for monitoring high density, diverse assemblages such as bat roosts. Analysis of air samples recovered >91% of the species present and some limited relationship between species abundance and read count. Our data suggests this method can accurately depict a diverse mixed‐mammal community, particularly when the location is contained (e.g., a roost, den or burrow) but also highlights the potential for secondary transfer of eDNA material on clothing and equipment. Our results also demonstrate that simple, inexpensive, battery‐operated homemade air samplers can collect an abundance of eDNA from the air, opening the opportunity for sampling in remote environments.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Airborne eDNA documents a diverse and ecologically complex tropical bat and other mammal community

et al. 2023

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“…Sampling eDNA from water or soil has become widespread ( Thomsen & Willerslev, 2015 ) and collecting aquatic eDNA is now a common industry tool in monitoring aquatic ecosystems ( Rees et al, 2014 ; Ruppert, Kline & Rahman, 2019 ). More unconventional methods in terrestrial zones have targeted eDNA from spider webs ( Gregorič et al, 2022 ) and snow tracks ( Kinoshita et al, 2019 ) to learn about local ecology. Cavity roosts of bats have been suggested as an ideal target for terrestrial eDNA collections ( Clare et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Out of thin air: surveying tropical bat roosts through air sampling of eDNA

Garrett

Watkins

Francis

et al. 2023

PeerJ

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Understanding roosting behaviour is essential to bat conservation and biomonitoring, often providing the most accurate methods of assessing bat population size and health. However, roosts can be challenging to survey, e.g., physically impossible to access or presenting risks for researchers. Disturbance during monitoring can also disrupt natural bat behaviour and present material risks to the population such as disrupting hibernation cycles. One solution to this is the use of non-invasive monitoring approaches. Environmental (e)DNA has proven especially effective at detecting rare and elusive species particularly in hard-to-reach locations. It has recently been demonstrated that eDNA from vertebrates is carried in air. When collected in semi-confined spaces, this airborne eDNA can provide remarkably accurate profiles of biodiversity, even in complex tropical communities. In this study, we deploy novel airborne eDNA collection for the first time in a natural setting and use this approach to survey difficult to access potential roosts in the neotropics. Using airborne eDNA, we confirmed the presence of bats in nine out of 12 roosts. The identified species matched previous records of roost use obtained from photographic and live capture methods, thus demonstrating the utility of this approach. We also detected the presence of the white-winged vampire bat (Diaemus youngi) which had never been confirmed in the area but was long suspected based on range maps. In addition to the bats, we detected several non-bat vertebrates, including the big-eared climbing rat (Ototylomys phyllotis), which has previously been observed in and around bat roosts in our study area. We also detected eDNA from other local species known to be in the vicinity. Using airborne eDNA to detect new roosts and monitor known populations, particularly when species turnover is rapid, could maximize efficiency for surveyors while minimizing disturbance to the animals. This study presents the first applied use of airborne eDNA collection for ecological analysis moving beyond proof of concept to demonstrate a clear utility for this technology in the wild.

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“…First, the eDNA group, using substrates from the animal's environment such as water (seawater, freshwater, Ficetola et al., 2008; Foote et al., 2012), soil (Andersen et al., 2012; Taberlet et al., 2012), sediments (McDonald et al., 2023; Ryan et al., 2022), and air through filters (Garrett et al., 2023; Lynggaard et al., 2022). Another type of substrate can be considered eDNA traps, as they allow DNA concentration due to their intrinsic properties, such as feces (Van Der Heyde et al., 2021; Walker et al., 2019, hair (Croose et al., 2023; Lee et al., 2016), saliva bait (Nichols et al., 2015; Piaggio et al., 2019); saltlicks (Ishige et al., 2017), vegetation (Allen et al., 2023; Van Der Heyde et al., 2021) and even spider webs (Gregorič et al., 2022). Finally, a third group of DNA originates from invertebrates—iDNA—that are ectoparasites of the targeted taxa and blood/fecal meals are used as DNA sources (Calvignac‐Spencer et al., 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using eDNA for mammal inventories still needs naturalist expertise, a meta‐analysis

Van Leeuwen,

Michaux

2023

Ecology and Evolution

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DNA from the environment (eDNA) has been increasingly used as a new tool to conduct biodiversity assessment. Because of its noninvasive and less time‐consuming nature, many studies of recent years solely rely on this information to establish a species inventory. eDNA metabarcoding has been shown to be an efficient method in aquatic ecosystems, especially for fish. However, detection efficiency is not clear for mammals. Using the existing literature, we conducted a meta‐analysis to investigate if eDNA metabarcoding allows greater detection success compared to conventional surveys (such as field surveys, camera traps, etc.). Although only 28 articles were retrieved, showing the lack of comparative studies, still representing more than 900 taxa detected, we found that detection success was method dependent, but most importantly varies on the taxonomy of the targeted taxa. eDNA metabarcoding performed poorly for bats compared to the traditional mist nests. However, strong detection overlaps were found between conventional surveys and eDNA for large‐bodied mammals such as ungulates, primates, and carnivores. Overall, we argue that using both molecular and field approaches can complement each other and can maximize the most accurate biodiversity assessment and there is much room for metabarcoding optimization to reach their full potential compared to traditional surveys.

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Spider webs as eDNA samplers: Biodiversity assessment across the tree of life

Cited by 24 publications

References 132 publications

Airborne eDNA documents a diverse and ecologically complex tropical bat and other mammal community

Airborne eDNA documents a diverse and ecologically complex tropical bat and other mammal community

Out of thin air: surveying tropical bat roosts through air sampling of eDNA

Using eDNA for mammal inventories still needs naturalist expertise, a meta‐analysis

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