Making the most of your report
Each Wilderlab eDNA sample receives an online sample report which can be viewed via our explore map. These reports include interactive and visual ways to explore, communicate, and share your eDNA results. Each report contains the following sections:
1. Sample Information
This section includes information about the sample(s) including the type of kit and assay package used. Information such as the sample reference, environment type, and coordinates are submitted through our sample submission form.
If any of this information needs to be updated, do not hesitate to contact us with your updated sample details.
2. Featured Species
Here you will see images relating to some of the species identified in your sample(s). Clicking on an image will open a link to the relevant Wikipedia page so you can find out more about what was detected and identified.
These are continually being added to so a future version of the report may see additions to this section!
3. Taxon Results
This is the section of your report with the most detail about what species/taxa were found in your sample(s). There is one row for each unique taxon (ie species, genus, etc) found in the sample(s). These assignments are the best match at the time the reports are generated and will continue to be refined as new information is discovered.
Example of taxon results
- Export icons: Use the icons on the top left to download, copy, or print your results in various formats. The csv versions of these can then be uploaded to our Shiny Wheel application where you can create your own Wheel of Life diagram.
- Search bar: Here you can search for a specific
species/taxa based on its scientific, common, or Māori name, or even
filter for a specific group of taxa (eg fish, birds, insects).
- Group: This is the specific group that each taxon falls under (eg fish, birds, insects).
- Rank: This is the level to which the taxon has been identified (eg species, genus, family)
- Sequence count: This is the number of times a unique taxon was detected in the sample(s).
4. Wheel of Life
The Wheel of Life is a colourful and engaging way to help you visualise and communicate the breadth of your eDNA results. It is a way to visualise the taxa found in a sample based on the taxonomic group they fall under.
Shiny Wheel application
We have developed a Shiny Wheel application where you can upload a sample report and create your own Wheel of Life. Wheels can be created using results from multiple samples by simply uploading multiple reports. You can also download available taxa silhouettes from the Wilderlab library and use these to populate your wheel.
Find instructions on how you can create your own Wheel of Life here.
5. Stream Condition
We have been hard at work optimising our new riverine ecological health index, the taxon-independent community index (TICI), and it is now available for any river/stream sample processed with our comprehensive assay panel. If you sampled a river or stream with a comprehensive analysis and do not see the TICI information on your report, contact us and we will sort this out for you.
The TICI works similarly to New Zealand's macroinvertebrate community index (MCI), except the tolerance values have been assigned to DNA sequences from across the tree of life, instead of only invertebrate taxa. Read more about the TICI here.
| TICI score | TICI value |
|---|---|
| <80 | Very poor |
| 80 - 90 | Poor |
| 90 - 100 | Average |
| 100 - 110 | Good |
| 110 - 120 | Excellent |
| >120 | Pristine |
To help interpret the TICI score we include:
TICI nseqs: The number of individual indicator sequences included in calculating the TICI score.
TICI reliability: The reliability/robustness of the score as determined by the number of composite tolerance values included in its calculation.
TICI quantile: This indicates the position of your score amongst 52 well known river sites around the country (taken as part of a national eDNA trial carried out by Aotearoa's regional councils 2020/2021).
TICI rating: Qualitative value which aligns with the MCI-hb scoring system.
TICI dial: On your online sample report, you can find a visual dial to help report your TICI score.
These reports are a living copy of your results and are regularly updated as new sequence information is made available. For example, a sequence identified as `Insect` today could be refined to Nesameletus/Swimming mayfly tomorrow!
We are always looking to find new ways to help visualise and interpret your results meaning the format and contents of these reports are ever evolving.
Common questions
What do the sequence counts mean?
There are several factors which influence eDNA sequence counts including the distance of organisms from the sampling point, the presence of dead/decaying organisms, environmental factors which can speed up or slow down eDNA breakdown, and assay biases which can lead to preferential detection of certain groups of organisms. Because of this, these counts can only loosely be used to predict the abundance/biomass of organisms in the local environment.
Interpretation of sequence counts can vary depending on the research question you are asking of the dataset.
Due to the high sensitivity of eDNA testing, a low sequence count in few replicate samples should be considered a tentative detection. Depending on the importance of the taxa, follow-up eDNA sampling or a similar biological survey should be used to confirm presence or absence.
What if I expect to detect a species but don't, or detect a species I didn't expect?
Occasionally, some organisms that you had expected to find are not detected in your eDNA sample. This can occur if certain taxa are out of scope of our assays, missing from the reference database, or if insufficient replicates are taken. For most applications, we recommend taking 6 replicate samples at each sampling site to maximise the detection rate and reduce false negatives. There are usually several unidentified sequences which remain at the end of your sample results which are a combination of organisms not yet described or not yet in a reference database. These sequences can continue to be updated with new taxon information as new reference sequences become available, so the resolution of your data can continue to improve over time.
On the other hand, some organisms which you may not have expected to find can be detected in your eDNA sample. Due to the sensitivity of eDNA testing, field gear, vehicles, run-off, and animal faeces, are all potential pathways for DNA to be introduced into your sampling area. This is when local knowledge and context of the site is particularly important and can be used alongside your understanding of sequence counts to reduce misinterpretation and false positives.
It is very helpful for us if you let us know if you notice any taxa that might be missing (eg found in high abundance near the sampling site), as we can often use this information to improve our assay panel and reference database for the future.