Environmental DNA

Catalog description

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Environmental DNA (eDNA) consists of DNA released in the environment by any living form, the characterization of such DNA signatures represents a formidable opportunity to gather high-throughput and standard information on the distribution or feeding habits of species, with great potential for applications in ecology and biodiversity management; focuses on the use of eDNA for biodiversity research and monitoring in different kinds of environments, including terrestrial, freshwater, marine environments, and sediments including cave deposits; intended for those interested in becoming familiar with all steps necessary to produce high-quality metabarcoding data such as sampling, metabarcode design, optimization of PCR and sequencing protocols, as well as analysis of large sequencing datasets; the use of DNA metabarcoding to unravel novel patterns of diversity in space and time, to detect individual species (e.g., rare or invasive species) and to answer new ecological questions in various ecosystems and for various organisms; current methods based on eDNA with a particular focus on eDNA metabarcoding. Prerequisites: General genetics or biochemistry courses are highly recommended.