Now time for some joint sessions with the @bes-egg.bsky.social SIG to share knowledge and learning 🧬🐳🐸🦠🦋

And that’s a wrap on #UKDNAWG26 with the sad news that @andynisbet.bsky.social is stepping down as chair of the steering committee. Huge thanks to Andy for all of his efforts, guidance and support over the years that have got the working group to where it is today!

Ben Price @nhm-london.bsky.social takes us through high-throughput museomics and the cost reductions that can be made for generating reference sequences, and Mind the Gap, a tool for perform reference database gap analysis against species inventories #UKDNAWG26

Tom Hughes presents LIMPET - a new pipeline for detecting erroneous sequences in reference databases for #metabarcoding. Some databases contain more errors than others, but even highly curated databases can contain errors that will impact taxonomic assignment and ecological inference #UKDNAWG26

Zoe Withey @forestresearchuk.bsky.social on integration of Earth Observation + molecular data for ecosystem monitoring. Most work in 🇪🇺 or 🇺🇸 using #metabarcoding + satellite data with predictive modelling for biodiversity or genetics. Lots of opportunity once gaps + needs addressed #UKDNAWG26

Nice talk by @rdowell.bsky.social @marianilab.bsky.social on reconstructing food webs using #metabarcoding of #eDNA and gut contents combined with stable isotope analysis. Sampling in 🇮🇹🇬🇧🇮🇸 across different spatiotemporal scales to ground truth approach and compare/contrast food webs #UKDNAWG26

Great talk by @clarecowgill.bsky.social on using #eDNA and #acoustic data to understand ecosystem recovery. Functional analysis and metaweb networks offer deeper insights than richness alone into ecosystem-level change. Trends not always clear cut with single method #UKDNAWG26

Cool talk by @jamesmacarthur.bsky.social on #beaver #eDNA transport. Sample in winter to understand if beavers are present in wider landscape due to long transport distance. Sample in summer to understand localised distribution in a catchment due to shorter transport distance #UKDNAWG26

Nice talk by Marco Benucci on using honeybees as natural samplers for environmental monitoring. Distribution of plant pathogen TiNV1 more widespread in Scotland and England than previously thought using samples from honeybees #UKDNAWG26

Fab talk by Nathan Griffiths on invertebrate #eDNA #metabarcoding for statutory #lake assessment in Scotland. Initial results are promising for high quality sites, but low quality sites may be overestimated by #eDNA. Also need to consider reference database coverage and sampling effort #UKDNAWG26

8 yrs ago today at a DNAqua-net workshop in 🇦🇹, the single species #eDNA validation scale was born + soon evolved into key guidance for the #eDNA community (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...). Nice to be reunited with some coauthors at #UKDNAWG26 ! @bettinathal.bsky.social @katbruce.bsky.social

A validation scale to determine the readiness of environmental DNA assays for routine species monitoring

The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis for species monitoring requires rigorous validation for meaningful application and interpretation. We describe a 5-level validation scale for the user-fri...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Nice talk by Ruaidhri Forrester on using #eDNA #metabarcoding to locate #coregonid spawning grounds. High read counts correspond to locations of known spawning grounds in spawning season. Relationship spatially explicit and not seen outside spawning season, but not consistent across lakes #UKDNAWG26

Vera Fonseca @cefasgovuk.bsky.social showing that #eDNA and #eRNA #metabarcoding detect different biodiversity across habitats and sample types in coastal systems #UKDNAWG26

Tom Gibson @cefasgovuk.bsky.social showed some nice #eDNA #metabarcoding data depicting ecological signals across sites in North Sea. Several variables influence community composition and associated with indicator taxa. Important to consider sequence read depth for studying composition #UKDNAWG26

Great talk by Erika Neave on DNA divers. - low-cost, #citsci passive #eDNA sampling using #metaprobe attached to divers. #eDNA boosted species records for 2 rocky reefs + revealed ecological signals. Anyone in Vancouver 🇨🇦 looking for a fab #postdoc or research tech, Erika is available! #UKDNAWG26

@jlittlefair.bsky.social presents initial results of MSc project on vertical distribution of airborne #eDNA. Strong potential to better understand biodiversity across tree of life but improvements to sensor and further investigations needed #UKDNAWG26

David Bass @cefasgovuk.bsky.social discusses potential of #eDNA in One Health Framework to better engage people with #nature by enhancing existing metrics and creating new metrics, but needs science-policy interface #UKDNAWG26

@debbiele.bsky.social and Max John from @naturalengland.bsky.social highlight the importance of metadata for mobilising DNA-derived species occurrence data and work undertaken with @nbntrust.bsky.social over last year to facilitate upload in line with FAIR principles #UKDNAWG26

@bettinathal.bsky.social kicking off #UKDNAWG2026 by introducing eDNAeurope - the European node for all things #eDNA

We are go on our annual meeting!! Delighted that @bettinathal.bsky.social is hear to kick off the conference with a keynote!

🦉 New publication! 🦆 BirT: A Novel Primer Pair for Avian Environmental DNA Metabarcoding onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... Want to amplify birds from #eDNA samples? This new primer pair is the way to go! @dirch3.bsky.social, Rachel Empey, Megan Cowperthwaite, Katerina Coveny #metabarcoding

Our latest output is a practical guide to anyone considering running a citizen science project involving environmental DNA monitoring. Written by @laurens-colours.bsky.social and @lynseyrharper.bsky.social -- tinyurl.com/2cn9zdbx #DNA #CitizenScience #monitoring @ukdnawg.bsky.social

Took a while but finally published in @aer-ese-bes.bsky.social! Our study indicates great crested newt #eDNA survey window could be extended beyond June and filtration outperforms ethanol precipitation, but further evidence needed to support changes to regulated protocol doi.org/10.1002/2688...

Extending sampling approaches for great crested newt (Triturus cristatus) eDNA monitoring

Environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring has been used for great crested newt (Triturus cristatus) survey in the UK since the publication of a Defra-funded trial in 2014 and approval of a regulated protoc....

doi.org

A great FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Resuseable) hosted by Miwa Takahashi of CSIRO, @lynseyrharper.bsky.social @nidunn.bsky.social last Friday. Recording great metadata for #eDNA studies, #futureproof

Don't forget to sign up for making #eDNA data FAIR workshop, led by Miwa Takahashi and @nidunn.bsky.social at UCL, London, on 25th July. There's limited support with practical exercises for online attendees due to workshop format, so in-person attendance is encouraged if you want hands-on training!

Lynsey Harper@lynseyrharper.bsky.social · last yr.

Interested in making #eDNA data FAIR? A workshop on 25th July at UCL will cover: - FAIR data principles, data standards, and best #eDNA data practices - Using FAIRe tools and guidelines to format data (fair-edna.github.io) - Q&A / discussion Register by 4th July at www.surveymonkey.com/r/MN8ZS3Y!

Citizen scientists are better at this #eDNA craic than we are 😆 But that's not the main point! A passion project of @hollybroadhurst.bsky.social, where she delves into their motivations and experiences of engaging in eDNA surveys theoryandpractice.citizenscienceassociation.org/articles/10....

Interested in making #eDNA data FAIR? A workshop on 25th July at UCL will cover: - FAIR data principles, data standards, and best #eDNA data practices - Using FAIRe tools and guidelines to format data (fair-edna.github.io) - Q&A / discussion Register by 4th July at www.surveymonkey.com/r/MN8ZS3Y!

FAIR eDNA data workshop in London

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New paper out from our crew on using #eDNA to detect the pathogenic chytrid fungus (Bsal) and characterise the surrounding amphibian community from pond samples in the Netherlands. Small number of samples but highlights the potential of eDNA for routine monitoring of both. bioone.org/journals/jou...

🚨 Out now in #EnvironmentalDNA led by #MiwaTakahashi: Results of a huge, global effort to facilitate the publication of raw and processed #eDNA data & ensure that dataset we are currently generating, adhere to the #FAIR principles & won't be lost. @gbif.org, #ENA, doi.org/10.1002/edn3...

A Metadata Checklist and Data Formatting Guidelines to Make eDNA FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable)

Environmental DNA (eDNA) has emerged as a transformative tool for biodiversity monitoring and species detection, yet inconsistent metadata practices hinder data interoperability and reuse. To address...

doi.org

📢 New paper alert! Proud to co-author this effort to make #eDNA data more FAIR — Findable, Accessible, Interoperable & Reusable 🧬🌍 We introduce a metadata checklist & formatting guide to boost reuse & impact across #eDNA science. 🔗 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... #FAIRdata

A Metadata Checklist and Data Formatting Guidelines to Make eDNA FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable)

Environmental DNA (eDNA) has emerged as a transformative tool for biodiversity monitoring and species detection, yet inconsistent metadata practices hinder data interoperability and reuse. To address....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com