Pooling samples improves eDNA detection of freshwater fish in small lakes - Part 2

This study examined eDNA sampling approaches for assessing freshwater fish communities in small, shallow lakes. We sampled 13 lakes in the Auckland region (North Island, Aotearoa New Zealand) using two different approaches. Single sampling involved collecting six independent replicates of 1 L lake water from the littoral zone. Composite sampling involved pooling six 1 L samples collected from the same locations. For each lake, six 1 L single and composite samples were filtered on 1.2 micrometre, 30 mm cellulose acetate syringe filters. In total, 156 1 L water samples were collected and filtered from the 13 lakes.