Research grant awarded to continue development of DNA tools for monitoring fish in our lakes using only samples of water

Biologists at the University of Hull pioneering the development of environmental DNA (eDNA) tools for biodiversity monitoring have received a major funding boost.

Dr Bernd Hänfling and Dr Lori Lawson Handley, researchers in the Evolutionary Biology Group, have been awarded £56,000 from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency to continue developing eDNA tools that can detect what species of fish are found in lakes.

The grant follows on from their latest research funded by a £29,000 grant from the , which demonstrated for the first time that eDNA accurately reflects the biodiversity of fish in large lakes. The new project aims to use eDNA determine what proportions of fish are in the water and what the best and most efficient strategy is for collecting water samples are.

Dr Bernd Hänfling and Dr Lori Lawson Handley