All Outputs (49)

Monitoring terrestrial rewilding with environmental DNA metabarcoding: a systematic review of current trends and recommendations (2025)
Journal Article
Cowgill, C., Gilbert, J. D. J., Convery, I., & Lawson Handley, L. (2025). Monitoring terrestrial rewilding with environmental DNA metabarcoding: a systematic review of current trends and recommendations. Frontiers in Conservation Science, 5, Article 1473957. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2024.1473957

Introduction: Rewilding, the facilitation of self-sustaining and resilient ecosystems by restoring natural processes, is an increasingly popular conservation approach and potential solution to the biodiversity and climate crises. Outcomes of rewildin... Read More about Monitoring terrestrial rewilding with environmental DNA metabarcoding: a systematic review of current trends and recommendations.

Towards the conservation of the crucian carp in Europe: Prolific hybridization but no evidence for introgression between native and non-native taxa (2024)
Journal Article
Jeffries, D., Lawson-Handley, L., Lamatsch, D., Olsén, K. H., Sayer, C. D., & Hänfling, B. (2024). Towards the conservation of the crucian carp in Europe: Prolific hybridization but no evidence for introgression between native and non-native taxa. Molecular ecology, 33(19), Article e17515. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17515

Hybridization plays a pivotal role in evolution, influencing local adaptation and speciation. However, it can also reduce biodiversity, which is especially damaging when native and non-native species meet. Hybridization can threaten native species vi... Read More about Towards the conservation of the crucian carp in Europe: Prolific hybridization but no evidence for introgression between native and non-native taxa.

Optimising species detection probability and sampling effort in lake fish eDNA surveys (2024)
Journal Article
Sellers, G. S., Jerde, C. L., Harper, L. R., Benucci, M., Muri, C. D., Li, J., Peirson, G., Walsh, K., Hatton-Ellis, T., Duncan, W., Duguid, A., Ottewell, D., Willby, N., Law, A., Bean, C. W., Winfield, I. J., Read, D. S., Handley, L. L., & Hänfling, B. (2024). Optimising species detection probability and sampling effort in lake fish eDNA surveys. Metabarcoding and Metagenomics, 8, 121–143. https://doi.org/10.3897/mbmg.8.104655

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is transforming biodiversity monitoring in aquatic environments. Such an approach has been developed and deployed for monitoring lake fish communities in Great Britain, where the method has repeatedly shown a co... Read More about Optimising species detection probability and sampling effort in lake fish eDNA surveys.

Environmental DNA reveals ecologically relevant spatial and temporal variation in fish assemblages between estuaries and seasons (2024)
Journal Article
Gibson, T. I., Baillie, C., Collins, R. A., Wangensteen, O. S., Corrigan, L., Ellison, A., Heddell-Cowie, M., Westoby, H., Byatt, B., Lawson-Handley, L., Z. Soto, A., Creer, S., Genner, M. J., & Mariani, S. (2024). Environmental DNA reveals ecologically relevant spatial and temporal variation in fish assemblages between estuaries and seasons. Ecological Indicators, 165, Article 112215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.112215

Estuarine ecosystems are threatened by numerous anthropogenic pressures. Fish assemblages are a dominant component of estuarine macrofauna and serve as indicators for the health of these transitional water ecosystems. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabar... Read More about Environmental DNA reveals ecologically relevant spatial and temporal variation in fish assemblages between estuaries and seasons.

Improving environmental DNA (eDNA) methods for the detection and monitoring of invasive Dreissenid mussels (2024)
Thesis
Peixoto, S. P. F. Improving environmental DNA (eDNA) methods for the detection and monitoring of invasive Dreissenid mussels. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4706368

Dreissenid bivalves, zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha, Pallas, 1771) and quagga mussel (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis, Andrusov, 1897), are small freshwater molluscs native to the Ponto-Caspian region in Eastern Europe. Increasing globalization h... Read More about Improving environmental DNA (eDNA) methods for the detection and monitoring of invasive Dreissenid mussels.

An integrated spatio-temporal view of riverine biodiversity using environmental DNA metabarcoding (2024)
Journal Article
Perry, W., Seymour, M., Orsini, L., Jâms, I. B., Milner, N., Edwards, F., Harvey, R., de Bruyn, M., Bista, I., Walsh, K., Emmett, B., Blackman, R., Altermatt, F., Lawson Handley, L., Mächler, E., Deiner, K., Bik, H. M., Carvalho, G., Colbourne, J., Cosby, B. J., …Creer, S. (2024). An integrated spatio-temporal view of riverine biodiversity using environmental DNA metabarcoding. Nature communications, 15(1), Article 4372. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48640-3

Anthropogenically forced changes in global freshwater biodiversity demand more efficient monitoring approaches. Consequently, environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is enabling ecosystem-scale biodiversity assessment, yet the appropriate spatio-temporal r... Read More about An integrated spatio-temporal view of riverine biodiversity using environmental DNA metabarcoding.

Environmental DNA metabarcoding for fish diversity assessment in a macrotidal estuary: A comparison with established fish survey methods (2023)
Journal Article
Gibson, T. I., Carvalho, G., Ellison, A., Gargiulo, E., Hatton-Ellis, T., Lawson-Handley, L., Mariani, S., Collins, R. A., Sellers, G., Antonio Distaso, M., Zampieri, C., & Creer, S. (2023). Environmental DNA metabarcoding for fish diversity assessment in a macrotidal estuary: A comparison with established fish survey methods. Estuarine, coastal and shelf science, 294, Article 108522. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2023.108522

Fishes are a dominant component of the macrofauna in estuaries and are important for assessing the health of these threatened ecosystems. Several studies have applied environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to assess the biodiversity of fishes in estu... Read More about Environmental DNA metabarcoding for fish diversity assessment in a macrotidal estuary: A comparison with established fish survey methods.

What is an otter's favourite food? - a molecular investigation into the dietary preferences of the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) across the River Hull Catchment (2022)
Thesis
Macarthur, J. A. What is an otter's favourite food? - a molecular investigation into the dietary preferences of the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) across the River Hull Catchment. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4297795

Knowledge of top predator diets is fundamental to designing appropriate management strategies which ensure the protection of both predator and prey populations. The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) has traditionally been described as... Read More about What is an otter's favourite food? - a molecular investigation into the dietary preferences of the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) across the River Hull Catchment.

Spatio-temporal monitoring of lake fish spawning activity using environmental DNA metabarcoding (2022)
Journal Article
Di Muri, C., Lawson Handley, L., Bean, C. W., Benucci, M., Harper, L. R., James, B., Li, J., Winfield, I. J., & Hänfling, B. (2023). Spatio-temporal monitoring of lake fish spawning activity using environmental DNA metabarcoding. Environmental DNA, 5(5), 849-860. https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.343

Determining the timing and location of fish reproductive events is crucial for the implementation of correct management and conservation schemes. Conventional methods used to monitor these events are often unable to assess the spawning activity direc... Read More about Spatio-temporal monitoring of lake fish spawning activity using environmental DNA metabarcoding.

A review of volunteers’ motivations to monitor and control invasive alien species (2022)
Journal Article
Anđelković, A., Lawson Handley, L., Marchante, E., Adriaens, T., Brown, P., Tricarico, E., & Verbrugge, L. (2022). A review of volunteers’ motivations to monitor and control invasive alien species. Neobiota, 73, 153-175. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.73.79636

People make an important contribution to the study and management of biological invasions, as many monitoring and control projects rely heavily on volunteer assistance. Understanding the reasons why people participate in such projects is critical for... Read More about A review of volunteers’ motivations to monitor and control invasive alien species.

Targeted and passive environmental DNA approaches outperform established methods for detection of quagga mussels, Dreissena rostriformis bugensis in flowing water (2020)
Journal Article
Blackman, R. C., Ling, K. K. S., Harper, L. R., Shum, P., Hänfling, B., & Lawson-Handley, L. (2020). Targeted and passive environmental DNA approaches outperform established methods for detection of quagga mussels, Dreissena rostriformis bugensis in flowing water. Ecology and Evolution, https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6921

The early detection of invasive non-native species (INNS) is important for informing management actions. Established monitoring methods require the collection or observation of specimens, which is unlikely at the beginning of an invasion when densiti... Read More about Targeted and passive environmental DNA approaches outperform established methods for detection of quagga mussels, Dreissena rostriformis bugensis in flowing water.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring of priority conservation fish species in UK lentic ecosystems (2020)
Thesis
Di Muri, C. Environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring of priority conservation fish species in UK lentic ecosystems. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4223124

Freshwater environments cover only a tiny fraction of the planet’s surface, yet they are biodiversity hotspots and support almost half of the global fish diversity, including globally and locally endangered species. In the UK, three species of nation... Read More about Environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring of priority conservation fish species in UK lentic ecosystems.

Fishing for mammals: Landscape-level monitoring of terrestrial and semi-aquatic communities using eDNA from riverine systems (2020)
Journal Article
Sales, N. G., McKenzie, M. B., Drake, J., Harper, L. R., Browett, S. S., Coscia, I., Wangensteen, O. S., Baillie, C., Bryce, E., Dawson, D. A., Ochu, E., Hänfling, B., Lawson Handley, L., Mariani, S., Lambin, X., Sutherland, C., & McDevitt, A. D. (2020). Fishing for mammals: Landscape-level monitoring of terrestrial and semi-aquatic communities using eDNA from riverine systems. The journal of applied ecology, 57(4), 707-716. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13592

© 2020 British Ecological Society Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding has revolutionized biomonitoring in both marine and freshwater ecosystems. However, for semi-aquatic and terrestrial animals, the application of this technique remains relativel... Read More about Fishing for mammals: Landscape-level monitoring of terrestrial and semi-aquatic communities using eDNA from riverine systems.

Simple, sensitive and species-specific assays for detecting quagga and zebra mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis and D. polymorpha) using environmental DNA (2020)
Journal Article
Blackman, R. C., Benucci, M., Donnelly, R., Hänfling, B., Harper, L. R., Sellers, G. S., & Lawson-Handley, L. (2020). Simple, sensitive and species-specific assays for detecting quagga and zebra mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis and D. polymorpha) using environmental DNA. Management of Biological Invasions, 11(2), 218-236. https://doi.org/10.3391/mbi.2020.11.2.04

Early detection is paramount for attempts to remove invasive non-native species (INNS). Traditional methods rely on physical sampling and morphological identification, which can be problematic when species are in low densities and/or are cryptic. The... Read More about Simple, sensitive and species-specific assays for detecting quagga and zebra mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis and D. polymorpha) using environmental DNA.

Untangling molecular food webs of non-native invertebrates and their communities (2020)
Thesis
Benucci, M. Untangling molecular food webs of non-native invertebrates and their communities. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4222622

Invasive non-native species (INNS) are one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss globally, however to what extent INNS predators modify and utilise the invaded communities is still debated. This is particularly the case for arthropod INNS whose tr... Read More about Untangling molecular food webs of non-native invertebrates and their communities.

Generating and testing ecological hypotheses at the pondscape with environmental DNA metabarcoding: A case study on a threatened amphibian (2019)
Journal Article
Harper, L. R., Lawson Handley, L., Hahn, C., Boonham, N., Rees, H. C., Lewis, E., Adams, I. P., Brotherton, P., Phillips, S., & Hänfling, B. (2020). Generating and testing ecological hypotheses at the pondscape with environmental DNA metabarcoding: A case study on a threatened amphibian. Environmental DNA, 2(2), 184-199. https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.57

Background: Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is revolutionizing biodiversity monitoring, but has unrealized potential for ecological hypothesis generation and testing. Aims: Here, we validate this potential in a large-scale analysis of vertebra... Read More about Generating and testing ecological hypotheses at the pondscape with environmental DNA metabarcoding: A case study on a threatened amphibian.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding of pond water as a tool to survey conservation and management priority mammals (2019)
Journal Article
Ghazali, M., Harper, L. R., Lawson Handley, L., Carpenter, A. I., Murray-Dickson, G., Di Muri, C., Macgregor, C. J., Logan, T. W., Law, A., Breithaupt, T., Read, D. S., McDevitt, A. D., & Hänfling, B. (2019). Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding of pond water as a tool to survey conservation and management priority mammals. Biological Conservation, 238(October 2019), Article 108225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108225

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding can identify terrestrial taxa utilising aquatic habitats alongside aquatic communities, but terrestrial species' eDNA dynamics are understudied. We evaluated eDNA metabarcoding for monitoring... Read More about Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding of pond water as a tool to survey conservation and management priority mammals.

Limited dispersion and quick degradation of environmental DNA in fish ponds inferred by metabarcoding (2019)
Journal Article
Li, J., Lawson Handley, L. J., Harper, L. R., Brys, R., Watson, H. V., Di Muri, C., Zhang, X., & Hänfling, B. (2019). Limited dispersion and quick degradation of environmental DNA in fish ponds inferred by metabarcoding. Environmental DNA, 1(3), 238-250. https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.24

Background: Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a promising tool for rapid, non-invasive biodiversity monitoring. Aims: In this study, eDNA metabarcoding is applied to explore the spatial and temporal distribution of fish communities in two aqu... Read More about Limited dispersion and quick degradation of environmental DNA in fish ponds inferred by metabarcoding.

The nutritional ecology of farmland bees : behavioural and community approach (2019)
Thesis
Austin, A. J. The nutritional ecology of farmland bees : behavioural and community approach. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4221704

Nutritional degradation, attributed to agriculture, is a primary driver of bee declines, yet we know very little about bee larval nutrition. How larvae deal with nutritional variation in their provisions remains relatively unexplored. Additionally, t... Read More about The nutritional ecology of farmland bees : behavioural and community approach.

Development of an environmental DNA method for monitoring freshwater fish communities using metabarcoding (2019)
Thesis
Li, J. Development of an environmental DNA method for monitoring freshwater fish communities using metabarcoding. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4221572

Monitoring current global biodiversity decline is essential to maintain ecosystem functioning, especially freshwater ecosystems. However, the conventional physical, acoustic and visual-based methods for monitoring biodiversity have some limitations s... Read More about Development of an environmental DNA method for monitoring freshwater fish communities using metabarcoding.