Lichen monitoring using airborne DNA – effects of climate change and land use

Biodiversity declines rapidly across the globe due to various environmental changes, including land use and climate change.

Long-term monitoring is fundamental to understand the mechanisms behind the decline, to predict future changes, and for effective ecosystem management. Environmental DNA (eDNA) provides a fast and cost-effective way to monitor biodiversity.

This project is based on a unique archive of weekly air filters present at the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), who filters ground level air at six stations across Sweden since 1965. More than 100 000 m3 of air passes each week through glass fiber filters, which preserve the DNA.

We have sequenced 400 weekly samples from 1974–2008 from Kiruna, northern Sweden, and mapped the diversity of all types of organisms. Samples from 2010–2022 will be sequenced during 2023.

This represents one of the most extensive, high-resolution time series of biodiversity data.We will develop methods for lichen monitoring using airborne eDNA and apply these to study temporal trends in the lichen DNA in the Kiruna air filters.

The project has three parts:Develop an efficient method for accurate identification of lichens in airborne eDNA by sequencing reference genomes.Develop the use of airborne eDNA for lichen monitoring: determine the source area of the lichen DNA and assess the effects of season and weather.Study long-term trends in lichen diversity and indicator species and link these to changes in climate and land use.