Finding the Rare: Improving Environmental Molecular monitoring of Rare Species

Detecting rare organisms in environmental samples is challenging. Endangered or invasive species may occur at very low abundance, while emerging pathogens need to be detected as early as possible. Environmental DNA and RNA (eDNA/eRNA) provide powerful tools for detecting such organisms without directly collecting them, but their application is often limited by how samples are collected and processed and by the sensitivity of available molecular methods.

ECTEMORS tests and benchmarks new technologies addressing different steps of this process. These include time-integrated environmental DNA sampling using the TIMFIE sampler, automated high-throughput methods for nucleic acid extraction, advanced PCR-based technologies for sensitive and reproducible detection, and targeted sequencing approaches. The technologies are evaluated using real environmental samples, including freshwater, marine and wastewater samples.

Rather than assuming that newer technologies are necessarily better, we systematically assess their advantages and limitations for different monitoring applications. The aim is to identify approaches that can improve the detection of rare biological signals while making molecular environmental monitoring more efficient and scalable.

The project connects method development with ongoing environmental and pathogen monitoring at SLU, allowing promising technologies to move rapidly from experimental evaluation towards practical implementation.