Detection and Quantification of Environmental DNA (e-DNA) as a Tool for Aquatic Ecosystem Monitoring

Environmental Deoxyribonucleic acid -(e-DNA) has emerged as a non-invasive and powerful tool for monitoring biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems. The present study is aimed at detecting and quantifying e-DNA in water samples using spectrophotometric analysis and electrophoretic separation following Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification. Water samples were collected from three different locations of a highly polluted Hussainsagar lake and analyzed for e-DNA concentration with results expressed as mean ± standard error, the concentrations ranged from 0.35 to 0.60 mg/L. PCR amplification confirmed the presence of DNA fragments, as visualized through electropherograms. The extracted e-DNA was preserved for future sequencing and species identification, particularly focusing on fish species due to their ecological significance. The present findings demonstrate the feasibility of using e-DNA for ecological monitoring and contribute to the development of sustainable, non-invasive biodiversity assessment methods, study of interactions of species as well as ecosystem dynamics.