DNA is the instruction manual for all life, each species has its own unique sequence. It is found in every cell of an organism’s body and also in other bodily fluids such as blood, saliva and urine. In recent years, researchers have developed new techniques for detecting very small amounts of DNA, called environmental DNA or eDNA. Thanks to this eDNA, biologists have now been able to identify insects in dried plants for the first time. Like the researchers from the University of Trier in the journal Biology Letters report, in a new study they detected the environmental DNA of hundreds of arthropod species, i.e. arthropods such as butterflies or mosquitoes, in an ordinary tea bag.
Powder might collect DNA from parts of the tea field
“What really surprised me was the great diversity we found. .[….] We took a tea bag and […] I think it was 100 [oder] 150 milligrams of dried plant material from which we extracted DNA,” said Henrik Krehenwinkel from the University of Trier in an interview with the online magazine The Scientist.
“And we found in green tea up to 400 species of insects in a single tea bag. That really surprised me. The reason for this is probably that this tea is ground into a relatively fine powder. This is how the eDNA [aus allen Teilen des Teefeldes] distributed.”
Research leader stays with the coffee
The eDNA approach has many advantages for species researchers over traditional methods such as camera traps. First, it is non-invasive and does not disturb the animals being examined. Second, it can detect species that are rare or elusive and therefore difficult to observe directly. Finally, environmental DNA can be collected relatively cheaply and easily, making it ideal for large-scale monitoring projects. Thanks to these advantages, eDNA might continue to become an indispensable tool for biologists. It is not known whether they then consume less tea following their studies.
“I actually drink coffee. […] And I’m afraid coffee probably doesn’t lend itself well to this because coffee is roasted. And what DNA really doesn’t like is being heated at a very high temperature for a long time,” explains Krehwinkel. “We haven’t tried it yet, but I’m afraid coffee is probably not the best choice for this type of experiment.”
picture of Rudy and Peter Skitterians on Pixabay
