Environmental DNA and epidemics in wood frogs

Environmental DNA, also known as eDNA, is genetic material shed from animals and plants that scientists can use to tell what kinds of organisms are living in an environment. However, scientists currently cannot reliably use eDNA to estimate how many animals of a given species are in the environment, especially in smaller populations. This is because a host of factors can influence eDNA concentrations that have nothing to do with population numbers. The research team looked how ways to use eDNA to evaluation population size with wood frogs.