Despite the fact that basically the whole year 2020 was deformed by lockdowns and homeoffice caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the AquaBOL team fortunately remained safe and tried to be active 🙂
During the year, we evaluated the first results of the eDNA metabarcoding study on the Slovak part of Danube (cooperation with VÚVH), which became pretty interesting and will become part of the JDS4 official report. Additionally, in collaboration with an international team, we co-authored and published an eDNA study from Trondheim (Norway) waters (http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/edn3.152). We analyzed the fauna of streams, smaller artificial reservoirs and estuaries to compare diversity, or to capture non-native or rare and endangered species and to demonstrate the feasibility and usefulness of metabarcoding in aquatic monitoring.
In September, we completed another traditional Tatra Mts field work, this time we focused on water, benthos and sediment samples for the continuation of the metabarcoding study within the freshly started project of Slovak national project agency VEGA2/0084/21. As part of the sampling, we tested various types of filters for water filtration.
Concerning DNA barcoding, we have produced dozens of new barcodes for aquatic beetles of South America, we have collaborated on barcoding Malta and Cyprus aquatic macroinvertebrates, we have improved the reference databases with Slovak representatives of mayflies, caddisflies, flatworms, and additional samples from Tatra lakes and karst springs of Slovakia.