College
College of Science and Engineering
Major
Marine and Conservation Biology
Faculty Mentor
Michael Zanis
Abstract
Measuring ecosystem biodiversity has historically been challenging, invasive, and timeconsuming. Recent advances in molecular biology technologies and techniques over the past two decades have enabled the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) as a tool for studying biodiversity. Environmental DNA refers to the DNA from all organisms in an ecosystem that enter the environment through various pathways. Since the development of high-throughput DNA sequencing (HTS) techniques, researchers have adopted eDNA metabarcoding as a noninvasive, inexpensive, and technically simple method for describing ecosystem biodiversity. The present review will describe current eDNA metabarcoding techniques and technical considerations, and then provide a selection of historical applications of metabarcoding in biodiversity studies. A sampling of novel, more applied miscellaneous uses of metabarcoding will then be reviewed, followed by an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of metabarcoding as a tool for quantitative ecosystem analysis. Lastly, the review will close with a discussion of the potential future directions for metabarcoding research and development.
Recommended Citation
Gillespie, Aidan P.
(2024)
"The Applications of eDNA Metabarcoding as a Tool for Conservation Biology,"
SUURJ: Seattle University Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 8, Article 18.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/suurj/vol8/iss1/18