Future Research
We contribute to building evidence that passive eDNA collection is effective and offers important advantages over conventional water filtration methods, warranting further investigation. Studies conducted in environments where eDNA degrades quickly or is released in pulses may identify further advantages of passive eDNA collection. Although our study identified both rare and abundant species in a relatively low diversity mesocosm, future studies should evaluate the effectiveness of materials and submersion time in warmer, high diversity systems so that materials are effective for the maximum number of environmental conditions. Even in situations where passive eDNA collection may not perform as optimally as conventional filtering methods, the time and cost efficiencies may still warrant it’s use, making cost-benefit analysis of which method to use a worthwhile consideration. Futures studies focussed on a mechanistic understanding of not only how eDNA adheres to materials, but investigating the physical/chemical properties of eDNA, could lead to the greatest advances in passive eDNA collection methods and optimization of materials.