Assessment of metabarcoding eDNA as a strategy for risk evaluation and biomonitoring at disturbed environmental sites in Canada

Industry and environmental consultants are increasingly using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding approaches to complement traditional environmental risk assessments. However, the application of these technologies to field locations where sampling is limited due to access to secure sites, or remote locations where the environment is very heterogenous, poses challenges to acquiring representative eDNA samples. Furthermore, the interpretation of amplicon sequencing data from environmental samples presents extreme analytical challenges. In this project we will work with industrial partners to examine three diverse field sites with the goal of developing an eDNA biomonitoring workflow for sampling and bioinformatics pipeline that will be useful for site-specific risk assessment programs.

Faculty Supervisor:

Kari Dunfield

Student:

Dasiel Obregon Alvarez

Partner:

EcoMetrix Incorporated

Discipline:

Environmental sciences

Sector:

University:

University of Guelph

Program: