In-field monitoring of airborne biodiversity using a passive sampler
The application of molecular techniques in analysing aerobiology and airborne environmental DNA (eDNA) has expanded rapidly recent years, offering powerful tools for indirect detection of plant, animal, and microbial taxa at landscape scale. Monitoring shifts in plant communities in response to human activity or management actions is crucial to understand their impact on biodiversity. To date, most airborne DNA studies have focused on pollen and single species detection, overlooking a variety of aerobiological sources, including plant fragments. Consequently, surveying entire plant communities through DNA metabarcoding is increasingly encouraged, as it enhances detection accuracy and broadens ecological insights.  Here, we present an in-field molecular framework for characterising plant biodiversity by capturing aerobiological DNA, using a passive sampler. Samplers were deployed across woodland and grassland habitats, with weekly collections used to characterise local plant community composition and quantify temporal dynamics in species detection. Aerobiological material collected by the sampler were analysed using plant-targeted DNA markers and sequenced on a portable MinION platform (Oxford Nanopore Technologies). To evaluate methodological reliability, a sampler was positioned alongside a conventional pollen trap, enabling direct comparison of taxa recovered by molecular and morphological methods.
The application of molecular techniques in analysing aerobiology and airborne environmental DNA (eDNA) has expanded rapidly recent years, offering powerful tools for indirect detection of plant, animal, and microbial taxa at landscape scale. Monitoring shifts in plant communities in response to human activity or management actions is crucial to understand their impact on biodiversity. To date, most airborne DNA studies have focused on pollen and single species detection, overlooking a variety of aerobiological sources, including plant fragments. Consequently, surveying entire plant communities through DNA metabarcoding is increasingly encouraged, as it enhances detection accuracy and broadens ecological insights.  Here, we present an in-field molecular framework for characterising plant biodiversity by capturing aerobiological DNA, using a passive sampler. Samplers were deployed across woodland and grassland habitats, with weekly collections used to characterise local plant community composition and quantify temporal dynamics in species detection. Aerobiological material collected by the sampler were analysed using plant-targeted DNA markers and sequenced on a portable MinION platform (Oxford Nanopore Technologies). To evaluate methodological reliability, a sampler was positioned alongside a conventional pollen trap, enabling direct comparison of taxa recovered by molecular and morphological methods.
University of Exeter