Post by Eawag

A global analysis of fish biodiversity using environmental DNA (eDNA) reveals how human activity and climate influence #biodiversity patterns in river ecosystems 🌱💧 👉 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eRqfeH5f An international research team led by the University of Zurich , #Eawag and Yunnan University  has found that in warmer climates biodiversity accumulation is more pronounced as river catchment size increases, while human activities weaken this relationship. 💡 “We found that the effects of human activity varied across regions, highlighting the need for locally adapted protection measures,” says principal investigator Florian Altermatt , Professor of Aquatic Ecology at UZH and Eawag. The researchers found that not only species richness, but also other measures of biodiversity, including functional diversity and genetic sequence diversity, showed stronger negative responses to human activity in larger river catchments. The study demonstrates the potential of #eDNA as an effective tool for rapid, large-scale biodiversity monitoring. Unlike traditional methods involving gillnets or electrofishing, eDNA monitoring does not require fish to be actively captured. 💡  “The field of biodiversity research is becoming a data science, where unprecedented integration of data allows new insights, also for global biodiversity policymaking,” says Florian Altermatt. 👉 The paper has been published today: https://lnkd.in/enWw6m3N #biodiversitymonitoring #environmentalDNA #aquaticresearch