The BioMonitor4CAP project focuses on innovative biodiversity monitoring in agricultural landscapes, combining established indicator approaches with cutting-edge technology. In Episode 3, we take the next step “beneath the surface” and look at how soil and insect samples can be turned into robust biodiversity data using modern genetic methods.

This episode puts the spotlight on eDNA (environmental DNA) and metabarcoding, approaches that help reveal biodiversity that often remains hidden below the surface and is difficult (or impossible) to capture by sight alone.

Together with Ameli Kirse (LIB – Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change), we discuss how samples are collected and prepared, what happens after DNA extraction, how reliable the results are, and why these methods are becoming increasingly important for soil health, soil fertility, and resilient agriculture.

More information:

BioMonitor4CAP project: www.BioMonitor4CAP.eu

Previous episodes: BioMonitor4CAP Podcasts - Biomonitor4CAP

LIB Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change | LIB

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If some of the used terms are new to you, here’s a quick mini glossary to keep handy while listening.

● Metabarcoding: Imagine you have a handful of soil and want to know which animals have been living there—without seeing a single one. That’s exactly what metabarcoding enables.

● Primer: A primer is like a molecular key—it recognizes specific DNA regions that we want to analyze.

● Taxonomic impediment: Put simply, there are too few scientists who can identify species—the expertise is disappearing.

● False negative / false positive: A false negative means a species is actually present, but we fail to detect it. A false positive means we “detect” a species that isn’t actually there.

● Nematocera: A suborder of flies that includes mosquitoes and related groups.