Extracellular DNA in Environmental Samples: Occurrence, Extraction, Quantification, and Impact on Microbial Biodiversity Assessment

Environmental DNA, i.e., DNA extracted directly from environmental samples, has been applied to understand microbial communities in the environment and to monitor contemporary biodiversity in the conservation context. Environmental DNA often contains both intracellular DNA (iDNA) and extracellular DNA (eDNA). eDNA can persist in the environment and complicate environmental DNA sequencing-based analyses of microbial communities and biodiversity.