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Open research questions in Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies

468 gap statements mined from Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,896 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • The study notes the challenge of balancing the needs of multiple species in a conservation translocation.

    Is There Mush-room for Bettongs on Dirk Hartog Island? Environmental DNA Assessment of Food Resource Availability for Fauna Translocations · 2026 · DOI

  • Further study into the plant-fungi associations on Dirk Hartog Island may be beneficial in revealing temporal trends in the fungal assemblage of dwarf scrub habitats.

    Is There Mush-room for Bettongs on Dirk Hartog Island? Environmental DNA Assessment of Food Resource Availability for Fauna Translocations · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited accessible cytochrome oxidase I (COI) sequences in public databases for Madagascar's marine fish species. Lack of a comprehensive 12S reference library for eDNA monitoring. Need for evaluation of the taxonomic resolution of different 12S metabarcodes.

    Building a DNA Reference for Madagascar’s Marine Fishes: Expanding the COI Barcode Library and Establishing the First 12S Dataset for eDNA Monitoring · 2025 · DOI

  • Studies integrating both metazoan and fish communities at fine spatial scales remain limited.

    Unravelling Metazoan and Fish Community Patterns in Yujiang River, China: Insights from Beta Diversity Partitioning and Co-Occurrence Network · 2025 · DOI

  • The research gap is the need for standardizing eDNA protocols in benthic assessments. The study highlights the importance of addressing these challenges to improve the accuracy and efficiency of eDNA-based surveys.

    Research Trends and Hotspots in eDNA-Based Surveys of Macroinvertebrates: A Bibliometric Analysis · 2025 · DOI

  • There is a need for effective monitoring tools to assess the effectiveness of the fishing ban policy in the basin. The study identifies a gap in the current understanding of fish species biodiversity in the Yong River basin.

    Assessment of Fish Species Biodiversity in the Yong River Basin Based on Environmental DNA Metabarcoding · 2025 · DOI

  • Limited understanding of the phylogenetic relationships within the Harnischia generic complex. Need for extensive global sampling and integration of multi-characteristic data. Contradictory research on the systematic studies of the complex.

    New Mitogenomes of the Harnischia Generic Complex (Diptera: Chironomidae) and Their Implication in Phylogenetics · 2025 · DOI

  • The study identifies the challenge of current biomonitoring programs being extremely limited. It notes the difficulty of detecting pest species in agricultural settings. The study mentions the challenge of analyzing large amounts of data generated by metabarcoding.

    Farmland Biodiversity Monitoring Using DNA Metabarcoding · 2025 · DOI

  • Current biomonitoring programs are extremely limited. There is a need for a more effective method to assess overall insect diversity and detect pest species in agricultural settings. The study identifies a gap in the use of DNA-based biomonitoring to measure the species composition of arthropod communities.

    Farmland Biodiversity Monitoring Using DNA Metabarcoding · 2025 · DOI

  • Traditional fishery resource survey methods are less accurate when the abundance of the surveyed species is low. There is a need for a non-destructive and non-invasive approach for aquatic species monitoring. The effects of environmental conditions on eDNA detection efficiency are not well understood.

    Environmental DNA for Assessing Population and Spatial Distribution of Spinibarbus caldwelli in the Liuxi River · 2025 · DOI

  • Comprehensive molecular data for Austrian bumblebees have been lacking. Limited availability of DNA barcodes for certain species.

    A Complete Reference DNA Barcode Library for Austrian Bumblebees · 2025 · DOI

  • The need to account for the distribution and aging effects on the behavior of PAHs in the soil environment. The challenge of determining a risk threshold for the total toxicity of PAHs.

    Environmental DNA-Based Ecological Risk Assessment of PAHs in Aged Petroleum-Contaminated Soils · 2025 · DOI

  • The study focused on aged petroleum-contaminated soils from a specific area in China. The study used a limited number of soil samples (32 samples). The study did not consider other potential pollutants in the soil.

    Environmental DNA-Based Ecological Risk Assessment of PAHs in Aged Petroleum-Contaminated Soils · 2025 · DOI

  • Few studies have examined the effects of increased atmospheric CO2 on subsurface ecosystems exposed to the upward migration of CO2 from storage sites. There is a need for a comprehensive risk assessment, particularly considering the potential leakage of CO2 from storage sites.

    DNA Metabarcoding of Soil Microbial Communities in a Postvolcanic Region: Case Study from Băile Lăzărești, Romania · 2025 · DOI

  • The paper does not explicitly state other technical or domain challenges, but it implies the challenge of working with eDNA samples and the need for effective biomonitoring methods.

    Environmental DNA: A Preliminary Characterization of Invertebrate Biodiversity in a Sicilian River · 2025 · DOI

  • It highlights the need to address environmental and societal crises driven by biodiversity decline. The study faces challenges in promoting sustainable lifestyles and establishing a new scientific and cultural enlightenment.

    Marine Biodiversity in a Coastal Periphery Revealed by a Community-Based Monitoring Approach Integrating Citizen Science and Environmental DNA Metabarcoding · 2025 · DOI

  • It highlights the need for innovative approaches to achieve Sustainable Development Goals. The study addresses the lack of knowledge coproduction involving local communities and institutions.

    Marine Biodiversity in a Coastal Periphery Revealed by a Community-Based Monitoring Approach Integrating Citizen Science and Environmental DNA Metabarcoding · 2025 · DOI

  • DNA extraction with an alkaline buffer system called 'HotSHOT' is widely used for barcoding because it is rapid, inexpensive, and voucher preserving, but it remains unclear whether sufficient genomic DNA (gDNA) remains in small vouchers for downstream use in genomics.

    Balancing Barcoding and Genomics: gDNA Quality in Insect Vouchers After HotSHOT DNA Extraction · 2026 · DOI

  • I end this review with an extensive discussion of some possible mechanisms that should be further investigated in order to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the pH dependence of eDNA degradation.

    pH ‐Dependent Degradation of Macrobial Environmental DNA in Water · 2026 · DOI

  • However, the performance of passive sampling for microbial biodiversity monitoring remains unknown.

    Developing and Evaluating Aquatic Passive Sampling of Environmental DNA for Microbial Community Profiling · 2026 · DOI

  • Further analysis is needed to ascertain the correlation between the beta diversity of metazoan and fish communities with spatial and environmental factors, - Initiatives such as the '10-year fishing ban' should be studied to determine their effectiveness in restoring fish stocks…

    Unravelling Metazoan and Fish Community Patterns in Yujiang River, China: Insights from Beta Diversity Partitioning and Co-Occurrence Network · 2025 · DOI

  • Traditional biomonitoring methods are labor-intensive and can be environmentally destructive, - Rare organisms or larvae of target species may remain undetected, - The study only analyzed water and sediment samples from three…

    Distribution of Eukaryotic Environmental DNA in Water and Sediment from Offshore Petroleum Platforms in the Gulf of Thailand · 2025 · DOI

  • Further applications on biomonitoring of eukaryote communities covering larger offshore platforms located in the Gulf of Thailand, - Increasing the number of water samples could lead to the discovery of new…

    Distribution of Eukaryotic Environmental DNA in Water and Sediment from Offshore Petroleum Platforms in the Gulf of Thailand · 2025 · DOI

  • Further studies on the impact of CO2 leakage from geological storage on ecosystems, - Investigations into the effects of CH4 on microbial communities, - Research on the ecological risks of CO2 leakage from storage…

    DNA Metabarcoding of Soil Microbial Communities in a Postvolcanic Region: Case Study from Băile Lăzărești, Romania · 2025 · DOI

  • Further studies to understand the ecological role of the newly recorded species, - Investigations into the environmental gradients and anthropogenic pressures along…

    Environmental DNA: A Preliminary Characterization of Invertebrate Biodiversity in a Sicilian River · 2025 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The performance of passive sampling for microbial biodiversity monitoring remains unknown (“Developing and Evaluating Aquatic Passive Sampling of Environmental DNA for…”, 2026); (2) Lack of a comprehensive 12S reference library for eDNA monitoring (“Building a DNA Reference for Madagascar’s Marine Fishes: Expanding the COI…”, 2025); (3) Studies integrating both metazoan and fish communities at fine spatial scales remain limited (“Unravelling Metazoan and Fish Community Patterns in Yujiang River, China:…”, 2025); (4) There is a need for effective monitoring tools to assess the effectiveness of the fishing ban policy in the basin (“Assessment of Fish Species Biodiversity in the Yong River Basin Based on…”, 2025); (5) There is a need for a more effective method to assess overall insect diversity and detect pest species in agricultural settings (“Farmland Biodiversity Monitoring Using DNA Metabarcoding”, 2025). 468 gap statements have been mined from Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,896 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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