Wildlife in a water sample
We offer eDNA services across the tree of life from fish and other vertebrates to bacteria, bivalves and more. Get in touch for a quote.
Tell us more about your project

Reliable operations team working globally

Project coordinators on hand to support you

Expert eDNA scientists delivering your data
Survey whole taxonomic groups
Metabarcoding
Metabarcoding is our core expertise at NatureMetrics and we are at the forefront of this industry.
We can provide you with eDNA metabarcoding services at high-capacity whilst still retaining the quality and personalised experience that we are known for.
Fish
Our Fish MBC Survey service uses metabarcoding of the 12S gene to characterise fish species diversity from eDNA samples. This is a highly-validated and widely-used analysis that has been shown to outperform electrofishing for fish community assessment. Semi-quantitative data is obtained from this analysis (see FAQs for more info) and fish can be surveyed year-round.
Mammals
Our Mammal MBC service provides data on aquatic and semi-aquatic animals and has been used to survey a wide range of species including otters, water voles, beavers, and cetaceans (whales & dolphins). It also detects many terrestrial species that visit the water or whose DNA has been washed into the water by rainfall. Research shows that eDNA metabarcoding is at least as powerful as other survey techniques for terrestrial species, providing data on both large (e.g. deer, badgers) and small (e.g. mice, shrews, voles) mammals. Mammals can be detected year-round.
Bacteria
Vertebrates
Our Vertebrate MBC service targets entire vertebrate communities, including fish, amphibians, mammals and birds. The trade-off of the wider taxonomic breadth is that there are a small number of closely-related pairs of fish species that cannot be separated using this assay (e.g. pike and zander). Our team can work with you to decide which is the best assay for the needs of your project. Vertebrates can be surveyed year-round but amphibian detection may be seasonal depending on ecology and lifehistory of each species.
Bivalves
Bivalves can be detected year-round. Our Unionidae MBC Service targets freshwater mussels from the Unionidae family, including the endangered freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera), duck mussel (Anodonta anatina), swan mussel (Anodonta cygnea), depressed mussel (Pseudanodonta complanata), and painted mussel (Unio pictorum). Our Venerida MBC service targets mussels and clams from other families. This includes the Dreissenidae species such as zebra mussels (Driessena polymorpha) and quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis), which are invasive in the UK, as well as Sphaeridae species including pea mussels (Pisidium tenuilineatum). It also detects the invasive Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) and several other clam species.
Macroinvertebrates
Detect aquatic insects such as indicator groups of water beetles and EPT taxa (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera). Overcome the common challenges of taxonomic ID for species in morphologically intractable groups like the Chironomidae.
Biotic indices can be generated from macroinvertebrate eDNA data, but note that this is not yet accepted by regulators and therefore cannot be used for WFD assessments.
We also survey aquatic invertebrates using bulk samples. Learn more on our invertebrates page.
Test for the presence of a single species
Our qPCR tests are used to screen for the presence of particular species in a sample
Great Crested Newts
Season: April – June
Validation level: 4
White Clawed Crayfish
Season: April – October
Validation level: 3
Crayfish Plague
Season: Year-round
Validation level: 3
Signal Crayfish
Season: April – November
Validation level: 3
Zebra Mussels
Season: Year-round
Validation level: 3
Chytrid Fungus
Validation level: 3
European Eel
Validation level: 4
*With four of the introduced crayfish species in the UK known to carry crayfish plague (CP) Aphanomyces astaci, our qPCR CP test will detect the presence of CP in your sample.
**We offer tests for both B. dendrobatidis and B. salamandrivorans.
How do the NatureMetrics eDNA filters work in the field?

1. COLLECT

2. FILTER

3. SEND
Our user-friendly iDNAture kits contain everything you need to sample eDNA from ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, canals, estuaries, and oceans.
Watch our aquatic eDNA training video below for full instructions on collecting, filtering and preserving your environmental DNA samples.
Why NatureMetrics?

Ease of use – Our kits are tried and tested by diverse groups across the world.

The NatureMetrics Sampling App empowers you to collect and submit your field data on the go.

Our highly specialised team includes 18+ postdoctoral level scientists.

Compliant with all Natural England, UK and EU eDNA requirements, laws and legislations.

We take the time to troubleshoot difficult DNA samples to ensure you get the best possible results.

Specialist eDNA facilities with robust quality control procedures at every stage of the process.

Setting the standard for eDNA monitoring. Find out more about our collaborations and projects in the Info Hub.
NatureMetrics:
Aquatic eDNA in action
Working with collaborators across Europe, we have helped to draft the first European standard for eDNA sampling.
Beyond Europe, using our aquatic eDNA kits and Vertebrate MBC analysis service in the Peruvian Amazon, WWF Peru detected nearly 400 vertebrate species in just 44 water samples collected from rivers in the Northern Peruvian Amazon.

“Our team of researchers was able to collect 44 samples from 11 sample points along the Maranon in only 7 days… The four commercially important fish species were all detected in multiple locations, the number dependent on the species. Moreover, the same samples and analysis detected a total of 392 unique vertebrate taxa, including 293 fish.” – WWF Peru
Environmental DNA
Animals leave traces of DNA in water. This ‘environmental DNA’ can be captured by filtering the water with our custom-designed eDNA sampling kits. The filter is then sent to our laboratory for analysis according to the services you select.
