Environmental DNA (eDNA), a kind of genetic material left behind by living things in the environment, is being used more often by ecologists to record and track biodiversity. These DNA traces allow scientists to identify the species that are local to a certain place. While it is simple to collect samples from soil or water, other ecosystems, including the forest canopy, are more challenging for researchers to reach. Because of this, many species are still untraced in underdeveloped regions, which is why researchers made a drone that gathers environmental DNA from trees.
The Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, ETH Zurich researchers, and the business SPYGEN have joined forces to create a unique drone that can autonomously gather samples from tree branches.
How the drone gathers data
Adhesive strips are included with the drone. Material from the branch adheres to these strips when the plane lands on them. Then, utilising database comparisons, researchers may extract DNA in the lab, examine it, and assign it to genetic matches of the different creatures.
However, not every branch is the same because of differences in their elasticity and thickness. When a drone lands on a branch, the branch also bends and bounces back. The roboticists faced a significant problem in programming the aircraft such that it could still approach a branch independently and stay steady on it long enough to collect samples.
According to Stefano Mintchev, professor of environmental robotics at ETH Zurich and WSL, “landing on branches involves intricate management.” The drone initially has no idea how flexible a branch is, so researchers gave it a force detecting cage. As a result, the drone can assess this component on the spot and take it into account while making a flying move.
preparing activities for the rain forest at Zoo Zurich
On seven different tree types, researchers tested their novel gadget. The samples included DNA from 21 different taxa, or groupings of creatures, including birds, mammals, and insects. The research, which Mintchev co-authored, has recently been published in the journal Science Robotics. “This is exciting since it demonstrates that the collecting approach works,” Mintchev adds.
The goal of the competition is to identify as many different species as you can in a 100-hectare patch of Singaporean rainforest in a 24-hour period, thus the researchers are currently working to further develop their drone.
Mintchev and his crew are in the Zoo Zurich’s Masoala Rainforest right now testing the drone’s effectiveness under circumstances like to those it will encounter at the competition. According to Mintchev, “here we have the benefit of knowing which species are present, which will assist us to better judge how comprehensive we are in collecting all eDNA traces with this approach or whether we’re missing anything.”
But on this occasion, the collecting gadget has to work quicker and more effectively. In testing conducted at home in Switzerland, the drone obtained samples from seven trees over the course of three days; in Singapore, it must be able to fly to and get samples from 10 times as many trees in only one day.
However, gathering samples in a real jungle poses even more difficulties for the researchers. Regular rain washes eDNA off of surfaces, while wind and clouds make it difficult for drones to fly. In light of this, Mintchev adds, “We are really interested to see if our sampling approach will also show itself in harsh circumstances in the tropics.”
If you are interested in reading about more interesting innovations and gadgets, click here.
