During Joint Black Sea surveys, the EMBLAS team for the first time in the investigated parts of the Black Sea collected environmental DNA (eDNA) of aquatic fauna and flora will be collected from water samples. All DNA, which is in the water as a residue of vital activities of aquatic organisms, will be compared with previously studied DNA archived in libraries to determine which organisms ‘left their trace’ by living in or moving through the sampling site area. In the end, a list of aquatic biodiversity which was present in the sampling area during past several days will be developed.
The results to be obtained are valuable and interesting not only for the Black Sea, but for international community. Researchers from Ukrainian Scientific Center of Ecology of Sea (UkrSES) participating in EMBLAS are registered as observers in DNAqua-Net project (“Developing new genetic tools for bioassessment of aquatic ecosystems in Europe”) http://dnaqua.net/.
Now it is planned to share experience and presenting the data on eDNA acquired in the course of EMBLAS at international level.