作者：Li, Z., Ramon, C., Bogdanowicz, S., Koeberle, A., Wang, D., Rueda, F., Cowen, E., Walter, M., Sethi, S., Lodge, D., Luo, D. & Andres, J.

Natural environmental DNA (eDNA) offers a powerful tool for aquatic ecosystem monitoring. However, its transport in large lakes remains poorly understood due to its instability, scarcity, and heterogeneity, as well as the complex hydrodynamics of lakes. We developed biodegradable synthetic DNA particles (sDNAp) that encapsulate DNA fragments with unique sequences to serve as quantitative tracers for investigating eDNA transport. This sDNAp tracer was deployed in Cayuga Lake (NY, USA; 172 km2 surface area) and its dispersion was monitored for 33 h over similar to 11 km2 through depth-integrated water sampling followed by quantitative PCR analysis. Despite gram-scale release quantities, sDNAp were detected over 7 km from the source after more than a day, at concentrations as low as similar to 3-5 particles mL-1, demonstrating high sensitivity and durability. A 3D hydrodynamic model incorporating wind-driven circulation and stratification reproduced key dispersion patterns observed in the field. Forward particle-tracking simulations captured both horizontal advection and vertical displacement, while backward simulations revealed that vertical position sensitivity limited the accuracy of source attribution. This approach provides one of the first lake-scale demonstrations that time-resolved, probabilistic attribution of natural eDNA sources is feasible under favorable conditions. Using sDNAp tracers, it also establishes a robust benchmark for future studies on eDNA transport in large waterbodies.

天然环境DNA（eDNA）为水生生态系统监测提供了强有力的工具。然而，由于eDNA自身的不稳定性、稀缺性和异质性，加之湖泊复杂的水动力过程，其在大型湖泊中的输运机制仍鲜为人知。本研究开发了可生物降解的合成DNA颗粒（sDNAp），以具有唯一序列的DNA片段封装其中，作为研究eDNA输运的定量示踪剂。将该sDNAp示踪剂投放于美国纽约州卡尤加湖（湖面面积172 km²），通过深度积分水样采集与定量PCR分析，在约11 km²范围内对其扩散过程进行了33小时的监测。尽管投放量仅为克级，历经一天多后，在距源7公里以外仍可检出sDNAp，浓度低至约3–5个颗粒/mL，显示出高灵敏度和耐久性。纳入风生环流和分层效应的三维水动力模型重现了现场观测的关键扩散格局。正向颗粒追踪模拟同时捕捉到水平平流和垂直位移，而反向模拟则揭示，垂直位置的敏感性限制了源解析的准确性。该方法率先在湖泊尺度上证明，在有利条件下，对天然eDNA来源进行时间分辨的概率溯源是可行的。借助sDNAp示踪剂，本研究也为未来大型水体中eDNA输运研究建立了可靠的基准。

（来源：Environmental Science & Technology 2026  DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5c11071）