Collaborative environmental DNA sampling from petal surfaces of flowering cherry Cerasus × yedoensis ‘Somei-yoshino’ across the Japanese archipelago

Cerasus × yedoensis ‘Somei-yoshino’ is Japan’s most commonly cultivated cherry blossom tree. Thanks to widespread grafting, it blooms synchronously under the same climate conditions, which is suitable for the subject of “Ohanami,” flower viewing parties in Japan. Despite the host genetics’ homogeneity, the composition of environmental DNA (eDNA) on the petal surfaces was unclear. As a pilot project, we performed community-based eDNA profiling across 577 eDNA samples and 149 collaborators. A preliminary analysis identified the DNA of common plant species, including one that likely originated from the pollen of the Japanese cedar. Our results highlight the value of crowdsourced eDNA sampling and analyses in ecological studies.

Note: this project was supported by the next-generation sequencing (NGS) Field 4th meeting.

日本語による解説記事（国立遺伝学研究所）