Department of Environmental Science, University of Kashmir, Srinagar 190006, India.
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Kashmir, Srinagar 190006, India.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Aug 1;19(15):9445. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159445.
The present study suggests that standardized methodology, careful site selection, and stratigraphy are essential for investigating ancient ecosystems in order to evaluate biodiversity and DNA-based time series. Based on specific keywords, this investigation reviewed 146 publications using the SCOPUS, Web of Science (WoS), PUBMED, and Google Scholar databases. Results indicate that environmental deoxyribose nucleic acid (eDNA) can be pivotal for assessing and conserving ecosystems. Our review revealed that in the last 12 years (January 2008-July 2021), 63% of the studies based on eDNA have been reported from aquatic ecosystems, 25% from marine habitats, and 12% from terrestrial environments. Out of studies conducted in aquatic systems using the environmental DNA (eDNA) technique, 63% of the investigations have been reported from freshwater ecosystems, with an utmost focus on fish diversity (40%). Further analysis of the literature reveals that during the same period, 24% of the investigations using the environmental DNA technique were carried out on invertebrates, 8% on mammals, 7% on plants, 6% on reptiles, and 5% on birds. The results obtained clearly indicate that the environmental DNA technique has a clear-cut edge over other biodiversity monitoring methods. Furthermore, we also found that eDNA, in conjunction with different dating techniques, can provide better insight into deciphering eco-evolutionary feedback. Therefore, an attempt has been made to offer extensive information on the application of dating methods for different taxa present in diverse ecosystems. Last, we provide suggestions and elucidations on how to overcome the caveats and delineate some of the research avenues that will likely shape this field in the near future. This paper aims to identify the gaps in environmental DNA (eDNA) investigations to help researchers, ecologists, and decision-makers to develop a holistic understanding of environmental DNA (eDNA) and its utility as a palaeoenvironmental contrivance.
本研究表明，为了研究古代生态系统以评估生物多样性和基于 DNA 的时间序列，标准化方法、仔细的选址和地层学至关重要。基于特定的关键词，本研究通过 SCOPUS、Web of Science (WoS)、PUBMED 和 Google Scholar 数据库回顾了 146 篇文献。结果表明，环境脱氧核糖核酸 (eDNA) 可作为评估和保护生态系统的关键。我们的综述表明，在过去的 12 年（2008 年 1 月至 2021 年 7 月）中，63%基于 eDNA 的研究报告来自水生生态系统，25%来自海洋生境，12%来自陆地环境。在使用环境 DNA (eDNA) 技术进行的水生系统研究中，63%的调查报告来自淡水生态系统，其中鱼类多样性（40%）是最受关注的。对文献的进一步分析表明，在同一时期，使用环境 DNA 技术进行的调查中，24%针对无脊椎动物，8%针对哺乳动物，7%针对植物，6%针对爬行动物，5%针对鸟类。研究结果清楚地表明，环境 DNA 技术相对于其他生物多样性监测方法具有明显的优势。此外，我们还发现，eDNA 与不同的测年技术相结合，可以更好地深入了解生态进化反馈。因此，我们试图提供有关不同分类群在不同生态系统中应用测年方法的广泛信息。最后，我们提出了一些建议和说明，以帮助研究人员、生态学家和决策者克服困难，并阐明一些未来可能塑造该领域的研究途径。本文旨在确定环境 DNA (eDNA) 研究中的差距，以帮助研究人员、生态学家和决策者全面了解环境 DNA (eDNA) 及其作为古环境工具的用途。
