ArticleiScience2024
Spider webs capture environmental DNA from terrestrial vertebrates.
Article in iScience, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed.
- Comparison of Environmental DNA and Bulk DNA Metabarcoding for Assessing Terrestrial Arthropod Diversity Across Three Habitat Types on Guam.Molecular ecology resources · 2026Article
- A Breath of Fresh Air: A Novel Passive Airborne eDNA Approach for Scalable Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring.Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Properties and Limitations of eDNA Substrates for Terrestrial Animal Monitoring.Molecular ecology resources · 2026Review
- Spider webs as reservoirs of culturable fungal diversity: evidence from orb-weavingBiodiversity data journal · 2026Article
- Moss-Accumulated eDNA Is a Promising Source for Terrestrial Biodiversity Surveys Across the Tree of Life and Biomes.Molecular ecology resources · 2026Article
- Non-destructive environmental DNA extracted from owl pellet contents: A valuable tool for monitoring mammalian species richness.PloS one · 2026Article
- Monitoring biodiversity and detection of diverse vertebrate species with mosquito blood meal analysis at the DeLuca Preserve, Florida, USA.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Spider Webs, Soil or Leaf Swabs to Detect Environmental DNA From Terrestrial Vertebrates: What Is the Best Substrate?Molecular ecology resources · 2025Article
- Shotgun sequencing of airborne eDNA achieves rapid assessment of whole biomes, population genetics and genomic variation.Nature ecology & evolution · 2025Article
- Nested PCR amplification of the mitochondrial hypervariable region for non-invasive eDNA detection of Cryptobranchus alleganiensis.PloS one · 2025Article
- Article
- Optimised PCR assays for detecting elusive waterfowl from environmental DNA.Ecology and evolution · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Environmental DNA holds significant promise as a non-invasive tool for tracking terrestrial biodiversity. However, in non-homogenous terrestrial environments, the continual exploration of new substrates is crucial. Here we test the hypothesis that spider webs can act as passive biofilters, capturing eDNA from vertebrates present in the local environment. Using a metabarcoding approach, we detected vertebrate eDNA from all analyzed spider webs (N = 49). Spider webs obtained from an Australian woodland locality yielded vertebrate eDNA from 32 different species, including native mammals and birds. In contrast, webs from Perth Zoo, less than 50 km away, yielded eDNA from 61 different vertebrates and produced a highly distinct species composition, largely reflecting exotic species hosted in the zoo. We show that higher animal biomass and proximity to animal enclosures increased eDNA detection probability in the zoo. Our results indicate a tremendous potential for using spider webs as a cost-effective means to monitor terrestrial vertebrates.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.