Melania E. Cristescu
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Contrasted effects of human pressure on biodiversity in the UK: a multi‐taxonomic assessment using airborne environmental DNA Open
Human activities have significantly modified habitats, resulting in a global biodiversity crisis. In this study, we leveraged the first national‐scale biodiversity survey based on airborne environmental DNA, comparing the effects of three …
Connectivity and nutrient enrichment affect the productivity and stability of aquatic meta-ecosystems Open
Despite major human impacts on aquatic connectivity (e.g. channelization, damming) and on nutrient inputs (e . g. agriculture, sewage), empirical studies on the combined impacts of these effects are rare. To better understand the interacti…
Environmental <span>RNA</span> ‐Based Metatranscriptomics as a Novel Biomonitoring Tool: A Case Study of Glyphosate‐Based Herbicide Effects on Freshwater Eukaryotic Communities Open
Traditional morphology‐ and molecular‐based biodiversity surveys provide essential information on species composition and diversity, but they rarely provide information about the physiological states of organisms, which are key indicators …
Comparative Decay Dynamics and Detectability of <span>eDNA</span> and <span>eRNA</span> in Connected and Isolated Freshwater Mesocosms Using Digital <span>PCR</span> Open
Efficient use of environmental nucleic acids (eNAs) in freshwater biodiversity monitoring requires understanding their degradation and detectability in interconnected ecosystems. We employed a novel field‐scale assay to compare environment…
Contrasted effects of human pressure on biodiversity in the UK: a multi-taxonomic assessment using airborne environmental DNA Open
Human activities have significantly modified habitats, resulting in a global biodiversity crisis. Here, we leveraged the first national-scale biodiversity survey based on airborne environmental DNA, comparing the effects of three human pre…
First national survey of terrestrial biodiversity using airborne eDNA Open
Near real-time data across taxa are necessary for quantifying biodiversity at regional to continental scales and evaluating conservation measures. Yet, standardized methods and globally distributed infrastructure are still lacking. In this…
A strong relationship between environmental DNA metabarcoding and rank-based abundance of fish Open
Increasingly, molecular methods of species monitoring are integrated into freshwater biodiversity surveys and fisheries management. Inferring organism abundance or biomass from sequence counts derived from metabarcoding data has been an ex…
View article: Estimating Rapid Diversity Changes During Acute Herbicide Contamination Using Environmental DNA
Estimating Rapid Diversity Changes During Acute Herbicide Contamination Using Environmental DNA Open
The biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems globally is facing severe threats due to various anthropogenic stressors, such as habitat degradation, introduction of invasive species, and pollution. Assessing the effects of human‐induced enviro…
Effect of copper and nickel exposure on ribosomal DNA variation in <i>Daphnia pulex</i> mutation accumulation lines Open
The release of heavy metals from industrial, agricultural, and mining activities poses significant risks to aquatic ecosystems by degrading water quality and generating reactive oxygen species that can damage DNA in aquatic organisms. Daph…
eDNA provides accurate population abundance estimates with bioenergetics and particle mass-balance modelling Open
Anthropogenic activities have led to an unprecedented crisis in freshwater biodiversity loss. The capacity to monitor the abundance of wild populations is critical to conserving biodiversity, but conventional physical specimen collection m…
Cumulative effects of mutation accumulation on mitochondrial function and fitness Open
The impact of mutations on the mitochondria deserves specific interest due to the crucial role played by these organelles on numerous cellular functions. This study examines the effects of repeated bottlenecks on mitochondrial function and…
What can we infer about mutation calling by using time‐series mutation accumulation data and a Bayesian Mutation Finder? Open
Accurate estimates of mutation rates derived from genome‐wide mutation accumulation (MA) data are fundamental to understanding basic evolutionary processes. The rapidly improving high‐throughput sequencing technologies provide unprecedente…
View article: Pre-exposure to stress reduces loss of community and genetic diversity following severe environmental disturbance
Pre-exposure to stress reduces loss of community and genetic diversity following severe environmental disturbance Open
Summary Environmental stress caused by anthropogenic impacts is increasing worldwide. Understanding the ecological and evolutionary consequences for biodiversity will be crucial for our ability to respond effectively. Historical exposure t…
Revealing population demographics with environmental RNA Open
The analyses of environmental DNA (eDNA) and environmental RNA (eRNA) released by organisms into their surrounding environment (water, soil and air) have emerged as powerful tools for monitoring biodiversity. While eDNA has been widely ado…
View article: A harm reduction approach to improving peer review by acknowledging its imperfections
A harm reduction approach to improving peer review by acknowledging its imperfections Open
This candid perspective written by scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds is intended to advance conversations about the realities of peer review and its inherent limitations. Trust in a process or institution is built slowly and c…
Ecosystem connectivity and configuration can mediate instability at a distance in metaecosystems Open
Ecosystems are connected by flows of nutrients and organisms. Changes to connectivity and nutrient enrichment may destabilise ecosystem dynamics far from the nutrient source. We used gradostats to examine the effects of trophic connectivit…
Environmental transcriptomics under heat stress: Can environmental <span>RNA</span> reveal changes in gene expression of aquatic organisms? Open
To safeguard biodiversity in a changing climate, taxonomic information about species turnover and insights into the health of organisms are required. Environmental DNA approaches are increasingly used for species identification, but cannot…
Freshwater connectivity transforms spatially integrated signals of biodiversity Open
Aquatic ecosystems offer a continuum of water flow from headwater streams to inland lakes and coastal marine systems. This spatial connectivity influences the structure, function and dynamics of aquatic communities, which are among the mos…
Assessing the degradation of environmental <span>DNA</span> and <span>RNA</span> based on genomic origin in a metabarcoding context Open
Molecular tools of species identification based on eNAs (environmental nucleic acids; environmental DNA [eDNA] and environmental RNA [eRNA]) have the potential to greatly transform biodiversity science. However, the ability of eNAs to obta…
Ecosystem connectivity and configuration can mediate instability at a distance in metaecosystems Open
Ecosystems are connected by flows of nutrients and organisms. Changes to connectivity and nutrient enrichment may destabilise ecosystem dynamics far from the nutrient source. We used gradostats to examine the effects of trophic connectivit…
Environmental transcriptomics under heat stress: Can environmental RNA reveal changes in gene expression of aquatic organisms? Open
To safeguard biodiversity in a changing climate, we require taxonomic information about species turnover and insights into the health of organisms. Environmental DNA approaches are increasingly used for species identification, but cannot p…
Comparative analysis of zooplankton diversity in freshwaters: What can we gain from metagenomic analysis? Open
Molecular genetic approaches applied to environmental DNA have great potential for biodiversity research and ecosystem monitoring. A metagenome is produced via shotgun sequencing of DNA collected directly from the environment and represent…
Freshwater connectivity transforms spatially integrated signals of biodiversity Open
Aquatic ecosystems offer a continuum of water flow from headwater streams to inland lakes and coastal marine systems. This spatial connectivity influences the structure, function and dynamics of aquatic communities, which are among the mos…
Environmental nucleic acids: A field‐based comparison for monitoring freshwater habitats using <span>eDNA</span> and <span>eRNA</span> Open
Nucleic acids released by organisms and isolated from environmental substrates are increasingly being used for molecular biomonitoring. While environmental DNA (eDNA) has received much attention, the potential of environmental RNA as a bio…
Environmental RNA degrades more rapidly than environmental DNA across a broad range of pH conditions Open
Although the use and development of molecular biomonitoring tools based on eNAs (environmental nucleic acids; eDNA and eRNA) have gained broad interest for the quantification of biodiversity in natural ecosystems, studies investigating the…