Evaluating an Autonomous eDNA Sampler for Marine Environmental Monitoring: Short- and Long-Term Applications

Monitoring biological diversity is essential for monitoring ecosystem health and evaluating conservation efforts. Environmental DNA metabarcoding has emerged as a powerful, scalable, and minimally invasive tool for assessing biodiversity. In this study, we evaluate the performance of an autonomous eDNA sampling platform deployed over a nine-week period and compare it with a traditional filter-at-sample (F AS) sampling protocol. Our results show that the autonomous sampling platform consistently captures and preserves DNA with comparable effectiveness to conventional in-situ filtering and preservation at −80°C. Using two eDNA markers, we found that fish communities (12S marker) identified by both sampling methods largely overlapped, while invertebrate detections (COI marker) differed between methods, likely due to differences in filter specifications. These findings demonstrate that the autonomous samplers worked effectively in comparison to traditional methods, highlighting their potential to expand the temporal and spatial coverage of eDNA-based biodiversity monitoring. The ability of these samplers to facilitate long-term and continuous sampling in challenging environments shows promise for advancing eDNA applications in diverse and remote settings. Further research is needed to assess their performance in deeper waters and over extended periods, particularly to evaluate eDNA preservation at ambient ocean temperatures.