Towards non-invasive and integrative biodiversity monitoring in a changing world: the promise of environmental DNA
05 Dec 2025 - Orianne Tournayre, University of Montpellier | 14h30 | Hybrid Seminar
REGULAR SEMINAR IN BIODIVERSITY AND EVOLUTION
Human activities have been reshaping biodiversity patterns on a global scale for decades. Yet, our ability to detect species and track their distributions over time and space remains limited, a challenge frequently highlighted by major international initiatives. Current monitoring methods, while extremely valuable, often come with important limitations: they are often taxon-specific, invasive, and difficult to apply at large scales. In this seminar, I will present my work using environmental DNA (eDNA) collected from several sources, including guano, water, and air. Through several case studies, I will demonstrate how analyzing DNA traces in environmental samples is transforming biodiversity monitoring and enabling assessments of anthropogenic impacts across scales and ecosystems.
Orianne Tournayre is a molecular ecologist specializing in community ecology and conservation, with a focus on understanding human impacts on biotic communities. To do so, she develops and applies environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches, such as metabarcoding and ddPCR, to assess biodiversity and trophic interactions in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, spanning multiple biological levels and spatial scales. She completed her PhD at the University of Montpellier/Montpellier SupAgro (France) where she investigated the population genetics and diet of the greater horseshoe bat in Western France. After two post-doctoral positions in Canada, where she worked with water- and air-eDNA for biodiversity surveys, she is now a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Montpellier, applying guano-based metabarcoding and metagenomics to uncover ecological processes and provide insights into ecosystem health.