Spider webs, soil or leaf swabs to detect environmental DNA from terrestrial vertebrates: what is the best substrate?

Spider webs, soil or leaf swabs to detect environmental DNA from terrestrial vertebrates: what is the best substrate? | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL Molecular Ecology Resources This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 16 February 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Spider webs, soil or leaf swabs to detect environmental DNA from terrestrial vertebrates: what is the best substrate? Authors : Aloïs Berard 0000-0002-0656-1461 [email protected] , Julien Pradel , Nathalie Charbonnel , and Maxime Galan Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.173971827.75592782/v1 Published Molecular Ecology Resources Version of record Peer review timeline 715 views 306 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract As human activities drive biodiversity decline, effective biomonitoring is more crucial than ever to track species distribution changes and inform conservation and restoration actions. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding has emerged as a promising tool for the simultaneous detection of multiple taxa. However, while substrates play a crucial role in eDNA studies, limited research has compared substrate performance for terrestrial vertebrate detection, leaving a critical gap in empirical knowledge for large-scale application. This study evaluates and compares the effectiveness of three easy-to-collect substrates: soil, leaf swabs and spider webs, for broad terrestrial vertebrate eDNA monitoring. Specifically, we examined taxonomic richness overlaps among substrates, their effects on wild vertebrate detection probabilities and within-sample PCR repeatability. We analyzed 120 samples from the Landes Forest, an intensively managed temperate forest in Western France, and included additional samples from the Montpellier zoo to validate our detection capabilities. Using metabarcoding with 12Sv5 and 16Smam primers, we identified 67 taxa at the genus or species level. Our results demonstrate that spider webs consistently outperformed the other substrates, followed by leaf swabs and soil. These findings highlight the advantages of airborne-derived substrates (leaf swabs and spider webs) over soil and position spider webs as optimal for maximizing detection probabilities in rapid eDNA surveys, emphasizing their potential for efficient, scalable biomonitoring. Further research is needed to identify factors affecting eDNA detectability from these substrates, aiming to standardize procedures and move from proof-of-concept to broad use by researchers and managers. Supplementary Material File (main_document.docx) Download 4.16 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 16 February 2025 Peer review timeline Published Molecular Ecology Resources Version of Record 4 Sep 2025 Published Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Collection Molecular Ecology Resources Keywords airborne biodiversity monitoring environmental dna metabarcoding terrestrial wildlife Authors Affiliations Aloïs Berard 0000-0002-0656-1461 [email protected] CBGP View all articles by this author Julien Pradel CBGP View all articles by this author Nathalie Charbonnel CBGP View all articles by this author Maxime Galan CBGP View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 715 views 306 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Aloïs Berard, Julien Pradel, Nathalie Charbonnel, et al. Spider webs, soil or leaf swabs to detect environmental DNA from terrestrial vertebrates: what is the best substrate?. Authorea . 16 February 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.173971827.75592782/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. 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