Rediscovering lost species with environmental DNA
Discover how Samplifylab scientists have helped to find species already thought to be extinct in the majestic Andean mountains of Ecuador. A study recently published in Scientific Reports.
Extinction is forever. But assessing if a species has gone extinct is harder than one may think. Some species have even come back from extinction - or more precisely have simply evaded our detection for decades or centuries, making us believe they had disappeared.
In 2023, Samplify scientists had set out on an expedition across the magnificent Andes of Ecuador. With a team of more than 50 international researchers and conservationists, we collected water samples to help bringing back hope for conserving the emblematic amphibian fauna of the tropical and megadiverse country. Our metabarcoding tools made possible what a multitude of traditional surveys had missed: We traced several unknown populations of Critically Endangered amphibians including species that had disappeared for years. Learn more in our study Environmental DNA metabarcoding accelerates integrative conservation assessments and species rediscoveries in tropical biodiversity hotspots published recently in Scientific Reports.
Interested in discovering rare and elusive biodiversity with us? Contact a Samplifylab scientist today to learn more about available metabarcoding services.
