University of Guelph-developed DNA metabarcoding technology has been found to be more effective at monitoring biodiversity of ecosystems than traditional methods.
University of Guelph-developed DNA metabarcoding technology has been found to be more effective at monitoring biodiversity of ecosystems than traditional methods.
The science has been used in a study of the Peace-Athabasca Delta in northern Alberta, a vast ecosystem threatened by environmental pollutants from mining and hydroelectric projects.
One of the greatest challenges faced by environmental scientists and ecologists is accurately detecting changes in the biodiversity of natural ecosystems caused by human activity. The advent of new DNA-based biodiversity detection methods developed at U of G to address this challenge is highlighted in a new study, published in PNAS.
The study, led by U of G researchers as well as researchers from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Water Science and Technology Directorate, focused on the large wetland complex in northern Alberta.
Read more at Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph
Image: Aerial view of Wood Buffalo National Park's boreal wetland wilderness. (Credit: Donald Baird)
