Our interactive map contains organisms detected as a result of our community science initiatives.
*Note: Starting winter 2026, the research community will be able to request access to raw data through the Genovalia platform.
How to read the map results?
Environmental DNA (eDNA) collected at a given location can come from organisms that don’t necessarily live in that area. Currents and rain can sweep up eDNA from one place and carry it over great distances. This movement of DNA molecules over several kilometres may explain why we find DNA from freshwater species in a saltwater environment or from land species in water.
It’s important to keep in mind that eDNA collected at one place can come from many different sources, some of which are far from the sampling location.
- It’s hard to know for sure since eDNA breaks down relatively quickly due to environmental factors (water temperature, UV rays, etc.). Sometimes it can last several days, even weeks, in northern climates.
- An eDNA strand swept up by the current can travel long distances. Again, it all depends on the environmental conditions (e.g., the speed of the current). At times, eDNA can come from a tributary of the stream where the sampling took place.
- It is currently difficult to carry out quantitative analyses on eDNA. For instance, a sample could contain a lot of DNA from a single species, but we still would not know whether it comes from one large individual or several smaller ones.
- Research is progressing rapidly, and quantitative analysis using eDNA is being developed for certain contexts.
- When we get an unexpected result, it’s important to duplicate the sampling and compare the results from one period to another. If the findings are the same several times (e.g., for two years), then we can assume that they are not due to contamination during sampling or lab work. Certainty comes from the repeatability of results.
- eDNA analysis cannot tell us if the organism was dead or alive. A decomposing carcass that travels with the current will release a lot of DNA over a long period of time. This can explain why we sometimes get unexpected results.
- Environmental DNA is generating a great deal of interest among researchers all over the world. In Québec, a roundtable was set up to bring together stakeholders in the field of environmental DNA science. To learn more: Quebec Environmental DNA Table.
- Taxonomy, the science of classifying species and matching eDNA to the right detections, is constantly evolving for groups that are difficult to identify. This is why identifications can change from one project to another.