Research Trends and Hotspots in eDNA-Based Surveys of Macroinvertebrates: A Bibliometric Analysis

Environmental DNA metabarcoding offers an efficient and non-invasive solution for aquatic biomonitoring surveys, particularly demonstrating remarkable potential in macroinvertebrate research. In this study, we systematically analyzed 322 articles in the Web of Science Core Collection from 2010 to 2024 using bibliometric methods to reveal the research trends and technological advances in the field of macroinvertebrate surveys based on eDNA metabarcoding technology. The results showed that the number of annual publications has increased rapidly since 2012, with the United States (n = 58), France (n = 43), and Canada (n = 39) as the main contributing countries, and the most intensive collaboration network was observed among Europe countries. A keyword analysis shows that, in the past five years, the research direction has shifted to novel methodologies including multi-marker approaches, quantitative PCR, digital PCR, and other molecular detection platforms and high-throughput sequencing technology, with the integration of machine-learning and deep-learning architecture significantly improving the taxonomic resolution of data analysis. Despite the advantages of eDNA metabarcoding technology in terms of sensitivity and efficiency, persistent challenges including false positives/negatives in detection and incomplete reference databases are still the main challenges. This study provides methodological evidence for standardizing eDNA protocols in benthic assessments while identifying critical knowledge gaps.