[Nhcoll-l] EDNA samples

Sun Aug 30 10:57:12 EDT 2020

Dear Mandy & Greg,

in principle, collections handling & storing unsorted malaise traps or 
("unsorted") algae samples already have EDNA collections (maybe without 
calling them so). What Greg describes perfectly matches unsorted malaise 
trap samples and I entirely agree with Greg and James that these samples 
(and any individualised reference specimens that are identified and 
isolated from those bulk samples) will have high relevancy (and 
potential) for us in the future.

As James pointed out, microbiome research ("omics") is an important and 
fast developing new area and Greg is absolutely right that traditional 
concepts to catalog such samples wouldn't work. If you understand such 
samples as just another kind of "multidimensional collection object" 
(such as for example an insect drawer that holds */x/* species from */y 
/*independent collection events and */z/* collections/collectors), 
management of such samples shouldn't be a real challenge. The real 
challenges however could be the /preservation/ of such EDNA samples, 
especially of water-based EDNA samples from marine or freshwater 
environments unless these samples are maintained, i.e. cultivated like 
living algae collections (which evolve and thus change over time).

And yes, absolutely agree with questions on "regulatory compliance" that 
Greg raised - was recently approached by a colleague how to handle a 
EDNA sample that potentially contained DNA of an living fossil and 
highly regulated CITES species. We surely need new concepts and ideas here.

All the best
Dirk

Am 24.08.2020 um 19:50 schrieb Watkins-Colwell, Gregory:
>
> Ironically, this topic was recently brought up at the ASIH Ichthyology 
> and Herpetology Collections Committee meeting.  In short: yes… various 
> institutions have been approached to house such things and there seems 
> legitimately good reasons to house such samples in a natural history 
> collection.  Some of the tricks are basically artifacts of how museums 
> “normally” do things.  That is, we normally store things pre-sorted 
> and identified and tagged by taxon and locality and cataloged into the 
> appropriate taxonomic division.  In this case, most of that is unknown 
> and the data we have are primarily locality and time, without taxon 
> initially.  Eventually somebody can say what taxa are in that sample, 
> but until then it is basically a tube of water, or scat or dirt, etc.  
> SO how then is it cataloged and in which division?   In fact, even 
> after we know what’s in the sample, how do we store it?  Do we try to 
> isolate each DNA fragment by taxon (NO!!!!)… does the tube get 
> cataloged by every applicable division?  Does the sample get 
> subdivided so that each division has a subsample of the same thing? So 
> many of the conversations are about details like that.  There are also 
> some really fun practical issues such as, how do you import/export 
> it?  Is it claimed as wildlife or just as water?  What happens when 
> the water “becomes” wildlife (i.e. you import water and export 
> crocodile DNA that was in the water all along)… does that impact any 
> import/export regulations, etc.  Will wildlife agents assume you 
> falsified the initial report?
>
> In terms of regulatory compliance, would some agencies say that a 
> researcher need a CITES export permit for water if it later turns out 
> that it included DNA from elephants or freshwater dolphins or whatever?
>
> Greg
>
> ****************
>
> Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell
>
> Sr. Collection Manager, Herpetology and Ichthyology
>
> Division of Vertebrate Zoology
>
> Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History
>
> Main Office: 203-432-3791;  West Campus: 203-737-7568; Fax 203-432-9277
>
> Package shipping address:
>
> Greg Watkins-Colwell
>
> Division of Vertebrate Zoology
>
> Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History
> 170–210 Whitney Avenue
> New Haven, CT 06511 USA
>
> 203-432-3791
>
> ******************
>
> *From:* Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> *On Behalf Of 
> *Mandy Reid
> *Sent:* Sunday, August 23, 2020 9:29 PM
> *To:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
> *Subject:* [Nhcoll-l] EDNA samples
>
> I am wondering whether any museums are accepting EDNA (Environmental 
> DNA) samples, such as water samples, animal scats etc., or whether you 
> have been approached regarding storing such samples in museum collections?
>
> Is this something that we should consider? It would be excellent if 
> anyone is interested in a discussion around this as it is something 
> Collections staff at the Australian Museum in Sydney have been 
> approached about.
>
> Cheers
>
> Mandy
>
> *Dr Mandy Reid*
>
> Collection Manager | Malacology
>
> *Australian Museum*  1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia
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-- 

Dirk Neumann

Tel: 089 / 8107-111
Fax: 089 / 8107-300
neumann(a)snsb.de

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Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns
Zoologische Staatssammlung München
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neumann(a)snsb.de

postal address:

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