Utilisation of environmental DNA to track agricultural pests and determine insect biodiversity in The Netherlands

Presentation at the Netherlands Annual Ecology Meeting 2021 - NAEM2021. Given on Tuesday, February 9, 2021 in Session 3: Global Change Ecology (note, uploaded before presentation occured). Link to meeting: https://www.nern.nl/naem-2021-programmeAbstract:Environmental DNA (eDNA) is freely available genetic material that is recovered from the environment – e.g. waste water, animal faeces, or surfaces. The methods and techniques are at the point where near real-time results can be generated: Collect bat poop on a Monday, determine the bat's diet by Friday. What remains to be seen if this is 1) beneficial for tracking agricultural pests of concern, 2) useful in determining overall insect biodiversity, and 3) scalable to cover the entirety of The Netherlands as a sort of pest detection network. And furthermore, what else can we do with our eDNA collections?