Data for: A systematic review evaluating the performance of eDNA methods relative to conventional methods for biodiversity monitoring

The rapid adoption of environmental DNA (eDNA) methods has drastically changed biodiversity monitoring efforts. It is often claimed that eDNA methods are more sensitive and efficient than conventional biodiversity monitoring methods, however, it is often unclear what metrics are used to support this claim. Over the past decade, there have been many direct comparative studies between eDNA and conventional methods. While several have found support for increased sensitivity and efficiency of eDNA methods, others have found the opposite, necessitating a review that synthesizes the outcomes of these comparisons. Here, we systematically review all comparative studies between eDNA and conventional survey methods published between 2008 and 2023. We review the various metrics used to evaluate the relative performance of eDNA methods, the relative performance of eDNA methods according to those metrics, and whether study characteristics influenced the outcome of the comparisons. Our review fo..., This file contains the list of articles used for the systematic review, the information obtained from each article, and relevant metadata. All articles were obtained from Web of Science or were supplemented from the journals Environmental DNA, Metabarcoding, and Metagenomics. All articles were reviewed by the authors to verify that they met the definition of an Environmental DNA comparative study (see text). After initial review, articles were QC'd by another author to verify that the information was correct., , # Data for: A systematic review evaluating the performance of eDNA methods relative to conventional methods for biodiversity monitoring

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.z8w9ghxp8](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.z8w9ghxp8)

## Description of the data and file structure

All articles were obtained from Web of Science or were supplemented from the journals Environmental DNA, Metabarcoding, and Metagenomics. All articles were reviewed by the authors to verify that they met the definition of an Environmental DNA comparative study (see text). After initial review, articles were QC'd by another author to verify that the information was correct. The first tab contains the metadata listing each field and a definition of each field. The second tab contains all articles and the relevant information that we extracted from each one.

### Files and variables

#### File: Iacaruso\_E4\_SupportingInformation\_File1.xlsx

**Description:** 

##### Variables

* Sheet 1: Metadata pertaining to the review shee...,