In the face of global change, greater knowledge of the planet’s past and present ecosystems is more important than ever to manage biodiversity loss and set conservation priorities. A deeper understanding of interactions among living things and their environment is also required to manage ecosystem services and prevent the spread of harmful pathogens worldwide. Fueled by recent technological advances, DNA and RNA from environmental samples (eDNA/eRNA) are increasingly being used to help meet this need for knowledge. The application of eDNA/eRNA methods helps us evaluate community composition and answer various questions regarding biotic interactions within and between ecosystems. Furthermore, eDNA/eRNA approaches can provide insights into direct and indirect biotic interactions and various evolutionary phenomena.

Given the actual and potential impacts of eDNA and eRNA technology on the field of ecology, BMC Ecology and Evolution has launched a new Collection to bring together research using eDNA/eRNA approaches to:

• Analyse past and present biodiversity.
• Monitor ecosystem health and dynamics (e.g. pollution response, invasive species detection, species distribution and interspecies pathogen transmission).
• Analyse diet and trophic interactions, along with other symbioses (e.g. predator-prey, host-parasite and plant-pollinator interactions).
• Detect endangered, rare or cryptic species.
• Support Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)6: Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG14: Life Below Water or SDG15: Life on Land implementation.

Despite the many and growing strengths of eDNA/eRNA technology, the tool is often reported to have methodological and financial constraints. Such problems include sample collection, sample degradation, inference of spatiotemporal dynamics and taxonomic assignment. Therefore, we also encourage submissions that address technological and economic challenges in applying eDNA and eRNA technology in ecology and conservation biology. 

Articles under consideration for publication within the collection will be assessed according to the standard BMC Ecology and Evolution editorial criteria and will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process overseen by Editorial Board Member Associate Professor Luke Jacobus (Indiana University, USA), Associate Professor Cyprian Katongo (University of Zambia) and Associate Professor Luisa Orsini (University of Birmingham, UK). If accepted for publication, an article processing charge applies (with standard waiver policy).

The collection is now open for submissions!

To submit to the collection, please click here. Please state in your cover letter that your manuscript is for the “Applications of Environmental DNA and RNA in Ecology” collection. Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure you have carefully read the submission guidelines for BMC Ecology and Evolution. For pre-submission inquiries, please contact Jennifer Harman (jennifer.harman@springernature.com), the Editor of BMC Ecology and Evolution.

To view the articles already published in this Collection, please visit our website: https://0-www-biomedcentral-com.brum.beds.ac.uk/collections/aedre