Several teams are conducting research to determine 'living organisms in the vicinity' from DNA in the air.
Animals release hair, skin pieces, body fluids, etc. into the environment just by being alive, and by collecting these and analyzing DNA, it is possible to find out which animal inhabits. It is reported that two different research teams in Denmark and the United Kingdom are independently conducting research on 'collecting animal DNA from the air'.
Airborne environmental DNA for terrestrial vertebrate community monitoring: Current Biology
Measuring biodiversity from DNA in the air: Current Biology
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)01650-X
Two research teams independently used vacuums to measure biodiversity | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/01/two-research-teams-independently-used-vacuums-to-measure-biodiversity/
In the past, biological research required the task of actually catching or taking pictures of living organisms with a camera installed when measuring biodiversity or investigating the existence of species. However, in recent years, it has become possible to investigate the species that inhabit the surrounding area by collecting samples in the environment and analyzing eDNA (environmental DNA).
The most common method of collecting samples in environmental DNA analysis is to collect tissue or stool samples containing biological DNA by filtering water such as rivers and seas using a membrane. A team of postdoctoral fellows at the Globe Institute of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and others focused on the fact that 'the air surrounds various animals as well as lakes and the sea,' and collected environmental DNA from the air. I started researching how to do it.
As a result of research, it was found that environmental DNA in the air can be collected by installing a filter in the middle while sucking air with a vacuum cleaner or a similar machine. Ringard and his colleagues actually went to the Copenhagen Zoo with the equipment, such as an indoor breeding ground where okapis and tigers are bred, an outdoor breeding ground, and the 'Tropical Rainforest House' where birds, reptiles, sloths, etc. are bred. I took a sample in the air at.
The research team then thoroughly cleaned the samples in the laboratory to prevent contamination and restricted access, and then brought in the collected samples for analysis. Then, the DNA of 49 kinds of animals was confirmed, including rhinoceros, giraffe, impala, ring-tailed lemur, gray parrot, hoopoe, roach, and guppy. The breakdown is 30 species of mammals, 13 species of birds, 4 species of fish, 1 species of amphibians, and 1 species of reptiles, of which 38 species are bred in zoos and 3 species are food for animals. It is the DNA of what was used on a daily basis, and it seems that it also contained the DNA of wild animals living around the zoo.
At the same time, it was not only the research team of Mr. Lingard and others who tried to 'collect environmental DNA from samples in the air', but also research teams in the United Kingdom and Canada collected environmental DNA in the air by the same approach. Was going. In March 2021, a research team led by Elizabeth Claire, an assistant professor at the University of York, announced that she had 'successfully demonstrated the concept of environmental DNA collection in the air.'
After a successful proof of concept, Claire et al. 'S research team took samples at the Hamerton Zoo in the United Kingdom and analyzed the environmental DNA. As a result, not only the DNA of zoo-reared species such as dingos and tigers, but also the DNA of non-breeding species such as the European hedgehog, whose population decline is regarded as a problem in the United Kingdom, have been confirmed.
In addition, Claire et al.'S research team confirmed that animal DNA was also contained in samples collected at a distance of 100 meters or more from the breeding site, and that the DNA of animals kept inside the building was also found outside the building. It is reported that the DNA contained in the animal-based diet was also present in the sample.
Lingard et al.'S research team and Claire et al.'S research team were unaware of the existence of overseas research teams conducting very similar research. 'It's the first time that such a highly identical experiment has been done at exactly the same time, and without knowing each other at all. It's a little crazy task of'vacuumizing DNA from the air',' said Claire. It's really nice to have someone else try the same thing and prove it to work on their own while you're doing it. '
The method of collecting environmental DNA from the air is expected not only to evaluate the biodiversity of terrestrial organisms in a wide environment, but also to have the advantage of having little impact on the ecosystem. However, the two research teams admit that this research field is still in its infancy and the effects of wind and sunlight on accuracy are unknown.
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