Gygax, D. ; Ramirez, S.* ; Chibesa, M.* ; Simpamba, T.* ; Riffel, M.* ; Riffel, T.* ; Srivathsan, A.* ; Nijland, R.* ; Urban, L.
     
 
    
        
Evaluation of nanopore sequencing for increasing accessibility of eDNA studies in biodiverse countries.
    
    
        
    
    
        
        PLoS ONE 20:e0333994 (2025)
    
    
    
		
		
			
				Biodiversity loss is a global challenge of the 21st century. Environmental DNA (eDNA)-based metabarcoding offers a cost- and time-efficient alternative to conventional biodiversity surveys, enabling detection of rare, cryptic, and elusive species from environmental samples. However, limited access to genomic technologies restricts the application of eDNA metabarcoding in highly biodiverse remote regions and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Here, we directly compared the latest portable nanopore sequencing methods with established Illumina sequencing for vertebrate eDNA metabarcoding of Zambian water samples. Our results show that due to recent improvements in sequencing chemistry and optimized basecalling, nanopore sequencing data can recapitulate or even surpass established protocols, demonstrating the feasibility of in situ biodiversity assessments. eDNA- and camera trap-based species detections had minimal overlap in species detections, suggesting a complementary rather than substituting application of these biodiversity monitoring technologies. We finally demonstrate that our entire eDNA workflow can be successfully implemented in a mobile laboratory under remote field conditions by completing all steps-from sample collection to data analysis-within the Luambe National Park in Zambia. This approach has important implications for capacity building in LMICs and for overcoming limitations associated with sample export.
			
			
				
			
		 
		
			
				
					
					Impact Factor
					Scopus SNIP
					Web of Science
Times Cited
					Scopus
Cited By
					
					Altmetric
					
				 
				
			 
		 
		
     
    
        Publikationstyp
        Artikel: Journalartikel
    
 
    
        Dokumenttyp
        Wissenschaftlicher Artikel
    
 
    
        Typ der Hochschulschrift
        
    
 
    
        Herausgeber
        
    
    
        Schlagwörter
        
    
 
    
        Keywords plus
        
    
 
    
    
        Sprache
        englisch
    
 
    
        Veröffentlichungsjahr
        2025
    
 
    
        Prepublished im Jahr 
        0
    
 
    
        HGF-Berichtsjahr
        2025
    
 
    
    
        ISSN (print) / ISBN
        1932-6203
    
 
    
        e-ISSN
        
    
 
    
        ISBN
        
    
 
    
        Bandtitel
        
    
 
    
        Konferenztitel
        
    
 
	
        Konferzenzdatum
        
    
     
	
        Konferenzort
        
    
 
	
        Konferenzband
        
    
 
     
		
    
        Quellenangaben
        
	    Band: 20,  
	    Heft: 10,  
	    Seiten: ,  
	    Artikelnummer: e0333994 
	    Supplement: ,  
	
    
 
  
        
            Reihe
            
        
 
        
            Verlag
            Public Library of Science (PLoS)
        
 
        
            Verlagsort
            Lawrence, Kan.
        
 
	
        
            Tag d. mündl. Prüfung
            0000-00-00
        
 
        
            Betreuer
            
        
 
        
            Gutachter
            
        
 
        
            Prüfer
            
        
 
        
            Topic
            
        
 
	
        
            Hochschule
            
        
 
        
            Hochschulort
            
        
 
        
            Fakultät
            
        
 
    
        
            Veröffentlichungsdatum
            0000-00-00
        
 
         
        
            Anmeldedatum
            0000-00-00
        
 
        
            Anmelder/Inhaber
            
        
 
        
            weitere Inhaber
            
        
 
        
            Anmeldeland
            
        
 
        
            Priorität
            
        
 
    
        Begutachtungsstatus
        Peer reviewed
    
 
    
        Institut(e)
        Helmholtz Pioneer Campus (HPC)
    
 
    
        POF Topic(s)
        30205 - Bioengineering and Digital Health
    
 
    
        Forschungsfeld(er)
        Pioneer Campus
    
 
    
        PSP-Element(e)
        G-510011-001
    
 
    
        Förderungen
        
    
 
    
        Copyright
        
    
 	
    
    
    
    
        Erfassungsdatum
        2025-10-27