As marine organisms grow, reproduce and die they leave their DNA in the environment in which they live. This enviromental DNA (eDNA) can be recovered from a range of sample types, for example water or sediment, and can be used to infer the incidence of organisms in proximity to the original sample. Over time eDNA can accumulate at the bottom of lakes or oceans in sediments, this sedimentary eDNA is preserved in layers and contains a representation of the biodiversity of the environment at the time of sedimentation.

The isolation and sequencing of ancient DNA (also known as aDNA), such as the eDNA found in sediments, has revealed complex changes in biodiversity through time. It is also possible to isolate aDNA from shells and bones, for example those collected in kitchen middens, to produce similar biodiversity information.

In SEACHANGE we will use a range of cutting-edge methods on eDNA and aDNA, including metabarcoding and metagenomics, to understand changes in biodiversity across the work packages. This work will be led Dr. Kristine Bohmann and her team at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.