Standardized high-throughput biomonitoring using DNA metabarcoding: Strategies for the adoption of automated liquid handlers. Automated DNA metabarcoding

Contrary to traditional methods, DNA metabarcoding can be upscaled to process hundreds of samples in parallel. However, while automated high-throughput analysis workflows are well-established in the medical sector, manual sample processing still predominates in biodiversity monitoring laboratory workflows limiting the upscaling and standardization of DNA metabarcoding for routine monitoring. Here we present a complete, automated, scalable, and reproducible DNA metabarcoding workflow to extract DNA from bulk samples, perform PCR and library preparation on a single high-throughput liquid platform deck layout.