Editor’s note: From the “blue carbon” to “ecosystem services”, environmental jargon is everywhere. Conservation International seeks meaning in a series of occasional explanatory that we call “What the hell?”
In this delivery, we explore Edna, a wildlife monitoring tool that is changing the way we study the natural world.
I keep seeing this called “Edna” in science articles. What is it?
Ok, then, Edna is basically “CSI: natural edition.”
Just as humans throw hair, skin cells and sweat, animals constantly leave small traces of themselves in their surroundings: in water, snow, floor or even air. These microscopic bread crumbs contain pieces of genetic material: DNA.
Scientists call this “environmental DNA” or EDNA to abbreviate. By collecting samples of a pound, a river or possible, even a cloud of dust, researchers can analyze the DNA fragments that remain to discover what species they have there, even if they never saw them.
A current in the high May forest protected where scientists took samples to try Edna, which helps them quickly detect species that are difficult to observe directly.
So, don’t scientists need to detect an animal to know what is there?
That is what makes Edna so great. A scientist can collect some pound water, analyze it in the laboratory and discover which creatures have bones hanging there.
“Edna is excellent for finding species that are rare, secret or living in places that people cannot easily reach,” said Ali Swanson, who directs nature technology in International Conservation. “The technique works especially well in the water, where DNA mixes and moves easily: a single sample can give us a surprisingly rich snapshot of the wider basin, including areas that would be difficult to survey in person.”
What child or animals can you find with Edna?
Every child! Fish, amphibians, mammals, birds, insects, even microbes. A single sample can reveal hundreds of species. Scientists have used Edna used to find snow leopards in danger of extinction, survey animals at the top of Mount Everest and detect deep water creatures that no one has seen in person.
The snow leopards, a kind of noticeable difficult to detect in nature, have been detected with Edna.
What about dinosaurs?
Unfortunately, there is no T. Rex DNA in the garden of your backyard. Edna breaks down quite fast in the environment, usually in a matter of days, so it is excellent to detect the recent or current presence, not ancient history.
Well, well, there is no Jurassic Park, but it seems that it can really help protect wildlife.
Absolutely. Edna can provide solid scientific evidence that can help attract conservation funds or inspire new protections for threatened ecosystems.
Take an example of the real world of northern Peru: Researchers with Conservation International ventured into a part of the mayonnaise forest that was barely studied before. Instead of trying to detect all animals in person, they collected water and streams samples and let Edna do the detective work. He paid: DNA detected 261 species of vertebrates, many of them strange or difficult to detect.
That discovery is now helping to shape a new ecological corridor that will connect to Alto Mayo with other protected areas throughout the region, which gives wildlife more space to wander.
So, does this mean that Edna can replace other methods, such as camera traps or field visits?
Not quite. Edna is a powerful tool, but it works better along with other methods. It’s great to tell what species are present, but it’s still difficult to say how many Individuals there, or exactly when they passed. That’s where tools such as camera traps, acoustic sensors and a good old field work still play an important role.
“Each wildlife, like the species themselves, has a unique niche,” Swanson said. “Acoustic monitoring is excellent for finding birds or insects, camera traps are often ideal for larger mammals. Edna, which exceeds shy or strange creatures, is part of a mosaic or tools that together reveal a more complete image of the ecosystem.”
Any good example?
Well, real, that’s exactly what the team did in Alto May. In addition to using Edna, they were also based on traditional field surveys, such as detecting animals or collecting samples, to confirm their findings. And in doing so, they discovered species like a mouse that swim and a totally strange fish that are completely New in science – Something that Edna can hint but can’t visit on his own.
A type of armlemouth armored catfish, this “spot” header was discovered in a recent research expedition in the Protected Forest of Alto Mayo.
I am sold. When can I investigate my own backyard using Edna?
You can spend time. At this time, most EDNA tools are still laboratory and require serious equipment and knowledge. But scientists are working to make the process faster, cheaper and more portable.
Some early projects are already involving citizen scientists to help collect samples. And if you have ever used the SEEK application to identify an interesting fungus or presented a photo to Inaturalist, you are already part of a movement that is crowdsourcing science.
Who knows, one day Edna could be the next evolution: keeping the eyelashes on biodiversity simply filling a sample bottle on his next walk.
Will McCarry is a personnel writer at Conservation International. Why read more stories like this? Register to obtain updates by email. In addition, please support our critical work.
