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Leveraging eDNA for the rapid assessment of plant biodiversity of Arctic tundra landscapes

Lay summary

Climate change and industrial activity are increasingly changing the Arctic tundra. Since tundra plants are small and hard to identify, it is often difficult to know which different kinds of plants are found in an area of tundra. Not knowing which plants are present makes it difficult to support nature conservation efforts and measure changes in plants over time. We will test a new protocol that could make finding the different kinds of plants in the tundra a lot easier, even for non-experts. The protocol uses small fragments of the plants’ genetic code found in soil that are known as “eDNA”, and to test it we will collect small amounts of soil from three tundra locations around Cambridge Bay in Nunavut, Canada. We will also collect botanical observations and create a map of each location using drones. The botanical observations will help us test the quality of the protocol and the location maps will show us how the soil samples fit into the landscape. The results of our research will be available to everyone and, if successful, could help protect tundra plants in the future.  

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