Using eDNA for monitoring fish and invertebrate biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems

Global biodiversity is facing an extinction crisis leading to increasing pressure on industries to monitor their potential environmental impact. Relatedly, there is demand for more efficient biodiversity monitoring methods, resulting in growing interest in the use of environmental DNA (eDNA). Many questions, however, regarding the reliability of this relatively novel method remain, particularly for non-specialist end-users of the technology.
Here, the use of commercially available (in the UK) eDNA assays for monitoring freshwater fish and invertebrate biodiversity was compared to conventional surveillance techniques. Samples were collected from different habitats, on varying spatial scales and using multiple sampling regimes to assess how eDNA results were affected.
For aquatic macroinvertebrates and fish, more taxa were detected by eDNA than conventional surveys conducted in parallel, and for fish, all taxa detected by conventional monitoring were confirmed by eDNA.
For aquatic macroin..., , , # Using eDNA for monitoring fish and invertebrate biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.1c59zw44f](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.1c59zw44f)

The use of commercially available (in the UK) eDNA assays for monitoring freshwater fish and invertebrate biodiversity was compared to conventional surveillance techniques (electro-fishing and kick-netting respectively). Samples were collected from different freshwater habitats, on varying spatial scales and using multiple sampling regimes to assess how eDNA results were affected. This data set provides the raw data used to carry out these investigations. All eDNA analyses were conducted by a reputable UK based provider and conventional surveys conducted by suitably experienced freshwater water ecologists within UK based consultancies. 

## Description of the data and file structure

The data set is split into a series of tab relating to the different research questions being investigated as follows:

**Tab 1 Lentic ...