Seasonal variation in environmental DNA in relation to population size and environmental factors

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Analysing DNA that organisms release into the environment (environmental DNA, or eDNA) has

to assess the presence-absence of species in natural environments, as seasonal influences on eDNA in

colonised, replicated pond system was used to show how seasonal changes in eDNA were influenced

observed in early June when adult breeding was coming to an end, and between mid-July and mid-

with reproduction also influenced eDNA concentrations, as did temperature (but not rainfall or UV).

may therefore reflect relative abundance in different ponds, although environmental factors can affect

unadjusted counts which are widely used in population assessments but have unreliable relationships

with population size.