The International eDNA Standardization Task Force (iESTF): toward development of inclusive international standards for eDNA biodiversity monitoring

Metabarcoding and Metagenomics

卷:10

Forum Paper

Mehrdad Hajibabaei^1,2  Florian Leese³  Cathryn Abbott⁴  Hitoshi Araki⁵  Donald J. Baird⁶  Pedro Beja⁷  Kristy Deiner⁸  Hideyuki Doi⁹  Nicole Fahner²  Kelly D. Goodwin¹⁰  Margaret E. Hunter¹¹  Ryan P. Kelly¹²  Katy Klymus¹³  Michio Kondoh¹⁴  Ntangenedzeni Olivia Mapholi¹⁵  Toshifumi Minamoto¹⁶  Xavier Pochon¹⁷  Teresita M. Porter¹  Susanna Theroux¹⁸  Alejandro Trujillo-González¹⁹  Alison Watts²⁰  Hiroki Yamanaka²¹  Xiaowei Zhang²²  John Darling²  Kristian Meissner²³ 

[1] Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan, Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan, https://ror.org/02e16g702

[2] Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, https://ror.org/01dq60k83

[3] Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Nanaimo, Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Nanaimo, Canada

[4] School of Ecology and Environment, Yunnan University, Yunnan, China, School of Ecology and Environment, Yunnan University, Yunnan, China

[5] eDNAtec Inc., St. John’s, Canada, eDNAtec Inc., St. John’s, Canada

[6] Molecular Surveillance, The Cawthron Institute, Nelson, New Zealand, Molecular Surveillance, The Cawthron Institute, Nelson, New Zealand, https://ror.org/03sffqe64

[7] University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA, University of New Hampshire, Durham, United States of America, https://ror.org/01rmh9n78

[8] SimplexDNA, Winterthur, Switzerland, SimplexDNA, Winterthur, Switzerland

[9] Center for Biodiversity Science, Ryukoku University, Otsu, Japan, Center for Biodiversity Science, Ryukoku University, Otsu, Japan

[10] U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, MO, USA, U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, United States of America, https://ror.org/04yv9ex91

[11] University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany, https://ror.org/04mz5ra38

[12] U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Gainesville, USA, U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Gainesville, United States of America

[13] Centre for Biodiversity Genomics & Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics & Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada, https://ror.org/04zsyxa30

[14] Canadian Rivers Institute, Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada, Canadian Rivers Institute, Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada, https://ror.org/031ex4j83

[15] Finnish Environment Institute (Syke), Jyväskylä, Finland, Finnish Environment Institute (Syke), Jyväskylä, Finland

[16] Australian National eDNA Reference Centre, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia, Australian National eDNA Reference Centre, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia, https://ror.org/04s1nv328

[17] Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, https://ror.org/02kpeqv85

[18] CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal, CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal

[19] Goodwin Science Services, La Jolla, CA, USA, Goodwin Science Services, La Jolla, United States of America

[20] School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, University of Washington, Seattle, USA, School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, University of Washington, Seattle, United States of America, https://ror.org/00cvxb145

[21] Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan, Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan, https://ror.org/03tgsfw79

[22] Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP), Costa Mesa, CA, USA, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP), Costa Mesa, United States of America, https://ror.org/00yzwgc71

[23] College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa (UNISA), Pretoria, South Africa, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa (UNISA), Pretoria, South Africa, https://ror.org/048cwvf49

关键词: Biodiversity;    Ecological analysis;    eDNA;    Environmental assessment;    Environmental DNA;    Genomics;    Metabarcoding;    Standardization;   

DOI  :  10.3897/mbmg.10.193334

 received in 2026-03-27, accepted in 2026-08-10,  发布年份 2026

来源: Pensoft

【 摘 要 】

AbstractEnvironmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has emerged as a transformative tool for biodiversity assessment and environmental monitoring, offering a non-invasive, cost-effective approach to detecting species and characterizing ecological communities. Despite growing adoption by researchers, regulatory agencies, and industry, the widespread implementation of eDNA methods continues to face challenges, including inconsistent protocols across laboratories and the absence of internationally recognized standards. These barriers have slowed the integration of eDNA into routine monitoring programs and other operational settings, particularly in regulatory contexts. Standardization is widely recognized as an essential prerequisite for building confidence among end users and enabling meaningful comparison of results across studies and jurisdictions. While standards development efforts have begun to emerge at national and regional scales, the lack of international coordination risks producing fragmented or contradictory guidelines that could hinder rather than advance the field. Here, we introduce the International eDNA Standardization Task Force (iESTF; https://iestf.global), an initiative established to facilitate and accelerate the development of inclusive international standards for eDNA-based biodiversity monitoring. The iESTF aims to identify opportunities for new work item proposals within the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) framework, catalog existing standards and best practices, and ensure that standards development is accessible to practitioners in nations historically underrepresented in eDNA research. We outline some key challenges facing eDNA standardization, describe the structure and goals of the iESTF, and present a vision that includes the formation of a truly inclusive international community of practice, the establishment of pipelines for fast-tracking the development of international standards, and support for critical activities such as cross-regional standards testing and validation. The iESTF represents a critical step toward ensuring that eDNA methods achieve their full potential as reliable, globally comparable tools for biodiversity monitoring.

【 授权许可】

CC0   

【 图 表 】

Figure 19

FIGURE 8