Passive eDNA collection is fast and effective

February 25th, 2021

A women in a blue lab coat holding tweazers which are holding a piece of filter paper.

Dr Cindy Bessey uses a special filter paper to collect samples.

Environomics scientist Dr Cindy Bessey has developed a fast, cost effective method for collecting eDNA from sea water.

The most common method for aquatic sampling is actively filtering water through a membrane which is time consuming and requires specialised equipment and access to power.

In the published paper, ‘Passive eDNA collection enhances aquatic biodiversity analysis’ Dr Bessey and team demonstrate how eDNA can be passively collected in both tropical and temperate marine systems by directly submerging filter membranes in the water column.

Read CSIRO’s news story on the discovery, Filter paper can reveal species under the sea.