The landscape revegetation initiative is underway. This project is investigating revegetation on three levels – soil health, bird responses and revegetation growth. By integrating these elements, the team will gain valuable insights into how the ecosystem responds to revegetation efforts in the area.
Exploring Environmental DNA (eDNA)
The team is using environmental DNA (eDNA) to examine the communities of bacteria, fungi, and invertebrates present at various revegetation sites throughout the region. Riley Hodgson (Flinders University) and the team are particularly focused on studying the diversity and abundance of microbial (bacteria and fungi) communities within the soil.
What is eDNA?
Environmental DNA refers to the genetic material released by organisms into their surroundings. Researchers collect soil, water or air samples and analyse them to determine the presence of different species. This technique allows research teams to understand which species are present and their relative abundance in the environment.
What does eDNA collection involve?
Riley and the team begin by carefully scraping off the top layer of soil and sanitising their equipment. This process ensures that any DNA collected is solely from the current sample and not from previous ones. They then take the soil sample itself. From this sample, they gather environmental data (such as nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus, etc.), a microbial sample for eDNA analysis, and a moisture reading to track any variations between the sampling days.
What’s next?
The samples will be sent to a specialized laboratory for eDNA analysis. Once the results are received, the team will determine the variety of species present and their abundance to help guide future CLLMM landscape revegetation efforts.
This collaboration, funded by the CLLMM Research Centre, is led by researchers at Flinders University and University of Melbourne, together with University of Adelaide, University of South Australia, Birdlife SA, and Nature Glenelg Trust.
