Airborne eDNA Reflects Human Activity and Seasonal Changes on a Landscape Scale

Recent research on environmental DNA (eDNA), genetic material shed by organisms into their environment that can be used for sensitive and species-specific detection, has focused the ability to collect airborne eDNA released plants carried wind use in terrestrial plant populations, including detection of invasive endangered species. Another possible application is detect changes communities response activity or a landscape-scale. Therefore, goal this study was demonstrate how honey mesquite, blue grama, general human We monitored before, during, after rangeland restoration effort included mesquite removal. As expected, resulted massive increase eDNA. However, we also observed abundance from grass genus Bouteloua , which not directly associated with project, attribute these both seasonal trends. Overall, first time landscape-scale tracked using collection, suggest potential help monitor assess ecological projects, track due global warming, investigate community encroachment species extirpation threatened