Do freshwater insect assemblages in exotic plantations resemble those from native forest? Evidence from environmental DNA #eDNA #environmenalDNA onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Thank you so much to all the wonderful participants at #ukdnawg25! It’s been such an amazing couple of days! A few thank you so coming up…

And that’s a wrap! Thank you very much to @royalsociety.org, organising committee, session chairs, speakers, panellists and student helpers for a fantastic conference and we’ll see you next year! #UKDNAWG25

Speed talks! Caroline Howard @sangerinstitute.bsky.social gives update on Tree of Life project. Number of sequences are increasing every day, with slight bias towards Lepidoptera but also spanning all taxonomic groups. Fabulous genomic resource for the wider community to use #UKDNAWG25 1/4

Now @nidunn.bsky.social on importance of metadata for publishing and mobilising #metabarcoding data. Metadata key to understanding how species records were generated and making confidence judgement. FAIR #eDNA project has established workflow which @naturalengland.bsky.social have adopted #UKDNAWG25

@lyndallp.bsky.social gives insights and challenges from BIOSCAN. Scaling up, taxonomic bias + data quality have been big challenges. Sampling has ramped up over years. Most samples dominated by Diptera, but many taxa only seen once. Good coverage of UK habitats. Data platform now live #UKDNAWG25

Last session of #UKDNAWG25 is standards, best practice, current knowledge gaps and future opportunities. @leeselab.bsky.social discusses how we go from wild west of #eDNA to standards. Challenges are limited comparability of methods and unequal access to technical infrastructure and funding.

Speed talks! First Nadia Barsoum @forestresearchuk.bsky.social talks about use of #eDNA for forest #mammals. Camera traps compared to aquatic, soil, airborne and surface #eDNA. More species detected with #eDNA, particularly surface #eDNA #UKDNAWG25 1/6

@clarecowgill.bsky.social compared #eDNA, #ecoacoustics + camera trapping for monitoring #terrestrial rewilding. Aquatic, soil + surface (tree rolling) #eDNA used. Most species with #ecoacoustics + tree rolling. More mammals + amphibians with #eDNA. More birds with #ecoacoustics #UKDNAWG25

Buffy Smith @theednaconsultancy.bsky.social compared #iDNA and airborne #eDNA for #biodiversity in fragmented forest landscape. #iDNA more spatially sensitive. More domestic species detected with #iDNA than #eDNA tended to capture larger native mammals - differential shedding rates? #UKDNAWG25

Doug Yu presents results of large-scale #eDNA survey across 30,000 km2 protected area complex in China. OccPlus model used which accounts for false positives and false negatives in the field and the lab using read frequency #UKDNAWG25

Our second last session is #eDNA for #terrestrial ecosystem monitoring, restoration and management. First, Bridget Emmett gives an overview of ecosystem monitoring by @ukceh.bsky.social and partners. Soils became focus in 1970s with #eDNA incorporated in recent years #UKDNAWG25

Only one speed talk in this session from Manisha Gupta of Fera Science! On-site diagnostics for food borne pathogens developed, including E. coli in irrigation water, and salmonella in high risk foods. Challenges included sensitivity and moving towards deployment #UKDNAWG25

@susheelbusi.bsky.social using the Environment Agency’s River Surveillance Network for national-scale assessment of #antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR is old and natural phenomenon, even present in ‘pristine’ systems. Prevalent in #river systems and influenced by catchment #UKDNAWG25

Davey Jones @bangoruniversity.bsky.social describes innovations in wastewater-based epidemiology. Everyone contributes a sample to sewerage system - unbiased monitoring. Can act as early warning system for public and environmental health. Key challenge is communicating insights #UKDNAWG25

Now for health and #forensic applications of #eDNA. Niamh Nic Daeid @dundee.ac.uk talks through whether we can and should use it in the criminal justice system. Many unknowns before it can be implemented in this space safely. Standardisation of methods, reporting, and data sharing needed #UKDNAWG25

Speed talks! @kirstenjharper.bsky.social uncovers #marine #biodiversity around Pitcairn Islands. Fish communities differ by site + depth. Species detections matched life histories + habitat preferences. More data for other taxa + comparisons with other methods still to come! #UKDNAWG25 1/4

Dina-Leigh Simons @liverpooluni.bsky.social used #eDNA to survey rocky reef #biodiversity. Many spatial + environmental influences on intertidal #eDNA, but local abiotic stress gradients and known biogeographical patterns captured. Scale-appropriate sampling needed #UKDNAWG25

Karen Tait @plymouthmarine.bsky.social presents morphological and #molecular time-series to assess #zooplankton changes over last decade. #eDNA gives diff community insights. More info overall with both methods. Insights into meroplankton winners and losers as well as seasonal changes #UKDNAWG25

#UKDNAWG25 Day 2 begins with #marine monitoring. Kate Wade @jncc.bsky.social explains how 🧬 uptake been slow - challenges combining with traditional methods, and lack of funding, knowledge and confidence. New UK Marine DNA Group aims to advance, collaborate + share learning, starting with workshop

@ukdnawg.bsky.social chair @andynisbet.bsky.social reflects on Day 1 of #UKDNAWG25. One of purposes of this group is join-up which today emphasised. Valuable sessions on airborne and aquatic #eDNA highlighted importance of microbial community insights. Heads are buzzing (in a good way)!

Ending the day with panel discussion on opportunities for cross discipline and cross sector collaboration, with panellists representing government, academia and industry. If you’re not here this year, do comment with any questions you would like asked! #UKDNAWG25

Next speed talk session! Salla Vartia introduces PINK Track. Project aims to develop standardised #eDNA protocols for surveillance of pink salmon. 8 filter types compared across 6 countries - all performed reasonably well #UKDNAWG25 1/4

Tom Wilding of SAMS giving overview of #eDNA based Infaunal Quality Index (IQI). Traditional IQI expensive, time-consuming, and incompatible with active management. #eDNA can give repeatable data and predict IQI if SOP followed. Ring testing also showed diff labs could achieve same result #UKDNAWG25

#metabarcoding of archived samples has strong potential to help understand past ecological communities and changes over time. Future work will look at DNA-based metrics/indicators of #lake condition, and biobanked/archived samples #UKDNAWG25 @ukceh.bsky.social

Joe Taylor @ukceh.bsky.social on integrating DNA into #lake monitoring. Decades of biological, chemical and physical data for Cumbrian lakes. #eDNA #metabarcoding introduced in 2021. Clear seasonal shifts in bacterial community composition and separation by trophic status #UKDNAWG25

Jono Warren of Environment Agency continues work on #river #biofilms, presenting results of #microbial #metabarcoding. Nitrate = problem for ecological health of rivers. Indicators needed for management. Sensitive and tolerant taxa identified. Placement of ‘good’ ecological threshold key #UKDNAWG25

@amycthorpe.bsky.social giving insights to #river microbial diversity. Using Environment Agency’s River Surveillance Network, >1500 #biofilms collected, with #metagenomic sequencing for >400. Lots of novel taxa detected. Communities tend to be made up of high occupancy, abundant bacteria #UKDNAWG25

Lotic systems accumulate #eDNA from the wider catchment, including that of terrestrial species. Fish diversity increases downstream as #eDNA is transported, but strong spatial + seasonal turnover in #macroinvertebrates linked to env drivers. Also fast #eDNA break down to consider #UKDNAWG25

Where it all started… #eDNA monitoring in #aquatic ecosystems. First @profsicreer.bsky.social giving an overview of #freshwater lotic #eDNA, with investigations from mesocosm to ecosystem scale to understand fate, transport, spatiotemporal variation and environmental drivers #UKDNAWG25

Speed talks! Kate Denton @naturemetrics-edna.bsky.social used airborne #eDNA to look at crucial but overlooked #biodiversity on Somerset levels to infer ecosystem function. NatureAir project will expand this work #UKDNAWG25 1/3

Connor Scott @forestresearchuk.bsky.social used airborne #eDNA of fungal spores to look at tree colonisation of former agricultural land. Higher success with airborne #eDNA + sporocarp #metabarcoding than visual survey, but species ID tricky. Many tools needed to profile fungal diversity #UKDNAWG25

Now to the darker side of #eDNA with Jamie Marsay from Kromek, detecting #biosecurity threats using in-field tech for accessibility and quick deployment/response. Samplers developed and combined with lab on chip or @oxfordnanopore.bsky.social MinION sequencing into sampling units #UKDNAWG25

Matthew Clark @nhm-london.bsky.social introducing AirSeq. Pilots showed seasonal trends in agricultural crop pathogen spores, and spraying sometimes occurring too late. Now expanding to animals and zoonoses with platform for real-time #metagenomics, and looking at changes in space/time #UKDNAWG25

Airborne #eDNA can be used for species at risk to large-scale ecology. Recurring problem of benchmarking #eDNA against existing monitoring while capilitising on the unique information it provides. Future work will look at transport, sampling, seasonality and much more #UKDNAWG25

@jlittlefair.bsky.social kicks off session on novel and emerging methods for #terrestrial 🧬 monitoring with airborne #eDNA. Aquatic #eDNA development gave airborne #eDNA a running start. Proof-of-concepts in zoos provided evidence for also detecting UK species of importance #UKDNAWG25

New #freshwater monitoring network set up for streams, rivers and lakes. DNA technologies helped address data gaps, harnessed power of citizen science, fostered collaboration between science and government, and provided bank of samples for future research #UKDNAWG25

Lesley Rippon and Katherine Burgess introduce Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) programme. #eDNA being used in GenePools and England Ecosystem Survey @naturalengland.bsky.social More than 1300 species detected from urban #ponds by citizen scientists #UKDNAWG25

DNA CoE has funded metric development, UK Barcode of Life, citizen science (GenePools project), and EMBRACE (open source, standardised bioinformatics platform for commonly used primers). Looking to hold workshops on #eDNA policy and readiness and translation, and pathogens and disease #UKDNAWG25

David Bass @cefasgovuk.bsky.social, chair of Defra DNA Centre of Excellence (CoE), gives overview of its aims and function. Focus on data storage, sharing and harmonisation with future focus on state-of-the-art and metric development. Links to other consortia for cross-sector working #UKDNAWG25

Gideon Henderson, Defra Chief Scientific Adviser, speaking on how #eDNA can contribute to Defra properties. Legally binding #biodiversity targets domestically and internationally. We cannot manage what we don’t measure. Statutory monitoring inadequate + too costly to fully assess trends #UKDNAWG25

How do we continue to promote join up between researchers and end users? How do we broaden scope of work? How do we work internationally? Share your thoughts before the end of the conference! #UKDNAWG25

10th meeting since 2014. Intro by Andy Nisbet @ukdna.bsky.social @ukdnawg.bsky.social summary of progress and goals of linking, engaging, supporting and translating eDNA applications to end users

How times have changed… @andynisbet.bsky.social reflects on #eDNA and @ukdnawg.bsky.social progress over the last decade. From newts to standards. Many valuable partnerships and collaborations created #UKDNAWG25

The new #eDNA explainer aims to raise awareness and highlight opportunities/challenges to policy makers 🧬 #UKDNAWG25 royalsociety.org/news-resourc...

And we are go! The @royalsociety.org’s Sarah Giles kicks off our annual conference by summarising the eDNA policy explainer cowritten by UKDNAWG members @andynisbet.bsky.social @danread.bsky.social and @lorihandley.bsky.social and the RS

Fast, Flexible, Feasible: A Transparent Framework for Evaluating eDNA Workflow Trade-offs in Resource-Limited Settings #eDNA #environmentalDNA doi.org/10.1101/2025...

First national survey of terrestrial biodiversity using airborne eDNA #eDNA #environmentalDNA doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Have you registered for the 11th Annual UKEOF UKDNA Working Group Conference 13-14th May? If so, please have a read of this thread...

#eDNA #eRNA #omics people: would you support the formation of a European Society for Environmental Omics #ESEO? Please share your thoughts in the questionnaire & spread this message! 🙏 Thank you, the ESEO core team! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...