With its power to increase coastal survey coverage, environmental DNA (eDNA) is increasingly employed to monitor ecosystems and support decision-making. Currently, little is known about temporal and regional eDNA variation. For most species, there is no guidance on optimal sampling periods to design eDNA studies and monitoring programs. Consequently, projects may fail to detect species of interest because samples are not collected during optimal periods. A better understanding of biological and physical factors affecting eDNA presence are not only fundamental to optimizing eDNA project planning and avoiding false negatives, but also to interpreting eDNA temporal trends within and between ecoregions, including better understanding the discrepancies between eDNA and specimen-based surveys results (e.g., due to variations in larval/gamete release, shedding rates and eDNA persistence for different species).

This project aims to provide guidance on optimal eDNA sampling periods and standardized sampling procedures for assessing and monitoring coastal species using eDNA. GOTeDNA, a centralized interactive online tool currently in development, will report/visualize trends in spatio-temporal eDNA distributions. By updating the tool as data are accrued, the degree of confidence in predicted optimal eDNA sampling periods will increase and be spatially-refined.

By developing and regularly updating a centralized interactive tool to provide guidance on optimal timing for eDNA based on observed spatio-temporal trends in eDNA distributions, this project will contribute to building capacity for streamlining sampling design for monitoring marine organisms with eDNA and interpreting time-series data for specific taxa and regions. As a result, this will facilitate the generation of critical knowledge on marine biodiversity in our oceans, and lead to an increased use of ocean knowledge on eDNA by resource managers in support of science-based decision-making.

Currently, this project analyzes available large time-series datasets (Maritimes, Newfoundland, Québec, Gulf, Arctic, and Gulf of Maine bioregions) to corroborate latitudinal patterns in optimal eDNA detection periods from an established international collaboration between DFO and Maine-eDNA. Joining Ocean Decade provides the opportunity to contribute to the UN Decade through direct participation and innovation to integrate eDNA spatio-temporal observations within the Ocean Biomolecular Observing Networking (OBON).  

Ocean Decade: Guidance on Optimal Timing for Environmental DNA - Ocean Decade 

OBON: Endorsed projects – Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network (obon-ocean.org)