eDNA

A part of the eDNA team with The Prince. Copyright Monaco Explorations/Olivier Borde.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is genetic material originating from organisms. This material can be filtered from water samples. It comes from feces, mucus, blood, and sloughed cells, tissue, and in some cases can be attached to particles. The ​Megafauna team is​sampling from ​locations near​​ Malpelo’s coast and reefs​.
In labs, the eDNA is extracted, amplified and sequenced. These sequences are analyzed to identify species present in the sampled seawater. It also helps​ to build a reference database to accurately identify species.