Novel Low-Cost Sampler for the Collection and Preservation of eDNA in Marine Environments

Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling is a fundamental tool for researchers focused on the detection and monitoring of marine species. Manual collection of eDNA samples is time-and resource-consuming, and often does not allow for high spatial or temporal observations. Automated samplers can help to solve the issue of low spatial or temporal observations and present themselves as a valuable alternative to manual collection. However, automated eDNA samplers that are commercially available today are limited, costly (>$50k), or rigid in their configuration. Here we introduce a novel, low-cost (<$10k) eDNA sampler, EDULIS (Environmental DNA Underwater Long-term In-situ Sampler), that is highly adaptable, expandable, and user-friendly, allowing it to be tailored to a variety of research projects, budgets, and levels of technical expertise.