Environmental DNA Technology as an Emerging Molecular Tool: Advances, Challenges and Prospects in Biodiversity Survey and Ecological Monitoring

Facing unprecedented challenges in biodiversity conservation due to global environmental changes and human activities, traditional survey methods are limited by inefficiency, high costs, and poor detection of rare/cryptic species. Environmental DNA (eDNA) technology, extracting and analyzing genetic material from environmental matrices (water, soil, etc.), has revolutionized monitoring. With non-invasiveness, ultra-high sensitivity and high throughput, it boosts detection of elusive/endangered species and enables large-scale spatiotemporal biodiversity research. Its applications cover three core areas: targeted detection of single species (e.g., endangered/invasive taxa), multi-species community profiling, and population genetic analysis. It also assesses ecosystem health, guides ecological restoration, and warns of invasive species for informed management. However, bottlenecks exist: no standardized protocols across matrices, data interpretation uncertainties (e.g., eDNA concentration vs. species abundance), and incomplete regional reference databases. Future priorities include matrix-specific standardized workflows, integrating mechanistic models to correct artifacts, and curating quality regional databases, to drive its adoption and build intelligent real-time monitoring systems for conservation.