Scientists are now able to collect and analyze DNA extracted from the air.
The innovative techniques that were used to make this happen can transform the way in which endangered animals and natural ecosystems are studied and protected.
Two groups of researchers, working independently, one located in Denmark and the other in the UK and Canada, tested whether DNA that roams the air could be used to detect different species of animals by collecting samples at the Copenhagen Zoo, Denmark, and at the Hamerton Zoo in the UK.
All living organisms, including humans, release a genetic material known as eDNA into the environment when they excrete waste, bleed or change their skin and hair.
In recent years, conservation scientists have sequenced water-based eDNA to track certain species, such as the UK’s vast crested newt population, in aquatic environments.
However, monitoring airborne eDNA was more challenging because it dilutes more in air than in water.
The two teams of researchers used different methods to filter DNA from the air — both were successful in identifying lurking animals — within the confines of the zoo and outside.
His works were published in the journal Current Biology this Thursday (6).
The team working at the Hamerton Zoo has been able to identify DNA from 25 different species of animals including tigers, lemurs and dingos, said the study’s UK author Elizabeth Clare, an assistant professor at York University in Canada and a former professor at the Queen Mary University in London, where he carried out the work.
“We were even able to collect eDNA from animals that were hundreds of meters away from where we were doing the tests, without a significant drop in concentration and even from closed outside buildings. The animals were inside, but their DNA was escaping,” Clare said in a press release.
The Copenhagen team managed to detect 49 vertebrate species, including 30 mammals.
“We were surprised to see the results,” said Kristine Bohmann, associate professor at the Globe Institute at the University of Copenhagen and author of the Danish study in a statement.
“In just 40 samples, we detected 49 species, including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish”, says Bohmann.
“At Casa Rainforest (at the Copenhagen Zoo), we even detected guppies — a species of fish — in the pond, the two-toed sloth and the good — a species of snake. By collecting air samples in just one outdoor location, we detected several animals with access to an enclosure outside that part of the zoo, such as kea — a species of bird —, ostrich and rhinoceros, for example.”
The Copenhagen team used a type of fan to suck air from the zoo and its surroundings, which could contain genetic material derived from breath, saliva or fur — or anything small enough to float in the air.
The air was then filtered, the DNA extracted and copied before being sequenced. Once processed, the DNA sequences were compared to a reference database to identify animal species.
The two teams also detected the presence of animals that do not live in zoos. They identified animals from the surrounding area, including the Eurasian hedgehog — endangered in the UK — identified in boundaries outside the Hamerton Zoo, while the water vole and red squirrel were detected around the Copenhagen Zoo.
While the researchers say the density of animals in the zoo’s exhibits may have artificially increased the likelihood of detection, they believe the technique could shape the way scientists map species, potentially removing the need for camera traps, face-to-face monitoring, and intensive field work.
“The non-invasive nature of this approach makes it particularly valuable for observing vulnerable or endangered species, as well as those that live in hard-to-reach places like caves and burrows. They don’t need to be seen to let us know they’re around if we can pick up DNA traces literally out of nowhere,” says Clare in a statement.
“Air samples could revolutionize terrestrial biomonitoring and stimulate new opportunities to track the composition of animal communities as well as detect invasion of non-native species.”
Techniques involving eDNA from other environments have already significantly impacted scientific research. Archaeologists are using eDNA found in cave dust to understand ancient human populations, while eDNA from Arctic cores has revealed where mammoths and other Ice Age animals used to roam.
Similar techniques are also used to collect eDNA samples in sewage to detect and track Covid-19 in human populations.
Reference: CNN Brasil

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