| Issue |
Knowl. Manag. Aquat. Ecosyst.
Number 427, 2026
Conservation genetics
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Article Number | 9 | |
| Number of page(s) | 7 | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/kmae/2026004 | |
| Published online | 20 February 2026 | |
Short Communication
Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling strategies influence estimates of lake fish eDNA concentrations
1
Université Savoie Mont Blanc, INRAE, CARRTEL, OLA 74200 Thonon-les-Bains, France
2
Pole R&D ECLA, France
3
Service EcoAqua, DRAS, OFB, Aix-en-Provence, France
4
Aix Marseille Univ., INRAE, RECOVER, 13 182 Aix-en-Provence, France
5
INRAE, UR-Riverly, Centre de Lyon-Villeurbanne, Villeurbanne Cedex, France
* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Received:
19
November
2025
Accepted:
21
January
2026
Abstract
Environmental DNA (eDNA) is increasingly used to estimate species abundance and biomass, but impacts of sampling strategies are poorly understood. We compared point and spatially integrated sampling, two commonly used sampling strategies, in two lakes using quantitative eDNA analysis. Integrated sampling increases the spatial coverage and the total volume of water sampled relative to point sampling. However, integrated sampling led to lower fish eDNA recovery and underestimated eDNA concentrations compared to point sampling. Although the exact mechanisms underlying this pattern require further investigation, these results underscore the importance of aligning sampling strategies with key study objectives.
Key words: Sampling volume / filtration capsule / eDNA quantification / digital PCR / DNA recovery
Shared first author.
© M. Vautier et al., Published by EDP Sciences, 2026
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY-ND (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
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