2 yrs of eDNA on Hawaiian reefs shows a persistent core (sponges, annelids, algae) anchors site identity. Rare taxa drive temporal noise (wind/waves/tides). eDNA = stable communities, not just transient DNA. Spatial > temporal. #eDNA #biodoversity #coralreefs 📄 doi.org/10.1111/mec....
🧬⚓️ Sailing the Baltic with S/V Godzilla to test portable eDNA tools. Monitoring key species under industrial pressure using simple DNA tests from a moving boat to inform conservation. Part of the Nordic-Baltic State of the Art network. #eDNA #BalticSea #NORTHDIVeRSITY
Off to sea soon! ⛵️ Built this eDNA sampling planner to figure out how many sites I can actually sample before I go. Play with the parameters & plan smarter. Free to use! pknichols.com/ednabler/ #eDNA #MarineScience #Fieldwork #NORTHDIVeRSITY
I'm tired of seeing conservation efforts bottlenecked by the cost of fancy equipment. So, we went back to the drawing board. If we want to protect biodiversity, we need tools that can be deployed at scale. Fewer bells and whistles. More data. #eDNA #Biodiversity #Conservation #NORTHDIVeRSITY
Just wrapped #BioMonWeek26 on democratizing eDNA. Passive samplers (PEDS) for invasive algae + detection of endangered seals & otters. Simple, scalable, no-frills filtration. Let's make molecular biomonitoring more accessible!! 🧬
eDNA flagged Chondria tumulosa far beyond Hawaiʻi, but multilocus sequencing revealed a cryptic sister lineage, not range expansion. Takeaway: “false positives” in eDNA can reflect hidden diversity, not detection error. Single-locus markers ≠ enough. #eDNA #CrypticSpecies #InvasionBiology
Winter has arrived. Commuting through the snowy wonderland is quite the change of pace!
After nearly a decade studying marine biology in Hawai‘i and earning two degrees at UH Mānoa, it’s time for a new chapter. Grateful for all the lessons, mentors, and aloha that shaped me here. Excited to begin a postdoc in applied conservation and genomics — a hui hou, Hawai‘i🌊#PhDone
Can we circumvent the cumbersome filtration of #edna from seawater to detect rare taxa? Yes! Passively deploying simple cost-effective cotton membranes can, with trade-offs of course. @sednasociety.bsky.social doi.org/10.7717/peer...
Making #eDNA assessments more accessible. Just one step in our quest for inexpensive yet robust surveying of coral reefs 🪸 🐟🐠 doi.org/10.1002/cpz1...
Simple Passive Environmental DNA Samplers for Marine Biomonitoring in Resource‐Limited Programs
The analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA) is a powerful tool for rapidly assessing biodiversity across aquatic ecosystems. Its implementation remains limited, however, by the logistical complexity of ...
doi.org
Ready or not, here we go!! Are molecular tools reliable enough for routine monitoring of coral reefs? #edna #ecology #coralreef #conservation
Finally got around to uploading photos from the #tongariro alpine crossing! So many beautiful biomes and such a humbling and powerful place!
Where in the world is Chondria tumulosa?? New insights into the geographic range of the cryptogenic red alga, which was discovered in 2015-2016 smothering native reef systems in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument! www.hawaii.edu/news/2024/12...
PhD student, Patrick Nichols, is using #eDNA to hunt down elusive pesky algae - slapping passive samplers everywhere! #SeDNA2025
"But most of all, don't give in to cynicism or apathy. That's what the people promulgating these horrible policies want - a bored, indifferent public who figures that who cares, nothing matters any more, it's gonna happen no matter what. But it doesn't have to." www.science.org/content/blog...
Revised and Extended: What's Happening Inside the NIH and NSF
science.org
"Navigating uncertainty in environmental DNA detection of a nuisance marine macroalga" where we discuss #eDNA techniques to infer presence-absence of a marine invader threatening the protected #coralreefs of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument 🧬🪸 doi.org/10.1371/jour...
