by Dr. Tiara Moore
Environmental DNA, or what I lovingly call eDNA, is the genetic material that is captured in a water soil or even air sample. Similar to a detective that is able to identify a criminal who left their DNA at the scene of a crime, scientists, like myself, are able to identify animals, plants, bacteria found at the scene of a forest or ocean and provide a census of who has lived or lurked in that ecosystem.
In the depths of the Ellsworth Creek Preserve forest we found over 1000 different species, across 10 phylum and scientific kingdoms. From Annelids (worms) to Basidiomycetes (fungus) from Arthropods (bees) to Chordates (humans)! Multiple species have either lurked or lived in the soils of Ellsworth.
The eDNA showed a variety of microscopic animals, fungi, and parasites, as well as large vertebrates are present at Ellsworth preserve. This graph organizes the data based on the phyla of the organisms and shows how the species diversity varies based on the age and treatment of the tree stands, frequently showing greater overall diversity of species by the age of the tree stand. Graph: Erica Sloniker / TNC.
Interestingly, the biodiversity of the old growth forest was very high, but it was clear that changes in biodiversity appeared with human impacts like clear cutting and logging were in place. Moving forward to truly understand the biodiversity of Ellsworth and just maybe mitigate climate change we must look deeper into the soil microbial story to unlock the key to determining healthy soil, which will lead to healthier trees and increased carbon sequestration.
So ultimately the answers we seek are in the dirt beneath our feet!
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Dr. Tiara Moore is the Founder and CEO of Black In Marine Science (BIMS). As a forensic ecologist and marine biologist, her work focuses on using eDNA to reveal nature’s secrets as well as shining a light on Black leaders in marine science.
