Media Releases and Opportunities

Understanding the ecology of aquatic environments and the marine life that inhabits them is key to monitoring biodiversity and measuring the effects of climate change over time.

To do that, scientists are increasingly turning to environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling -- a surveillance method that can facilitate effective observation of biodiversity baselines and climate-induced changes.

Sampling devices, however, can be cumbersome, labour-intensive and expensive, putting them out of scientists' reach. To increase their accessibility, researchers at Dalhousie University have developed a cost-effective device that can collect, filter and preserve samples and can be deployed by one person.

It can also operate in remote locations for several days or months, making it possible to station it in marine protected areas or popular sites to monitor for invasive or endangered species, and harmful algae blooms.

Andre Hendricks, a Master of Applied Science student in Dalhousie's Engineering Department, played a critical role in building the eDNA sampler and tested it against manual bottle collections. He and his team, who outlined their work in a new paper, found that the two approaches provided similar results, showing that automated sampling can reliably capture samples in places and times that can be difficult to access.

Hendricks is available to discuss the device and how it could be key to observing biodiversity and climate change, particularly in the wake of the recent Global Biodiversity Framework that saw 200 countries agree to protect the world's biodiversity.

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Media contact: 

Alison Auld
Senior Research Reporter
Communications, Marketing and Creative Services
Dalhousie University
Cell: 1-902-220-0491
Email: alison.auld@dal.ca