Modernizing and Optimizing Biomonitoring of Lithuania Rivers (MOBILR)
Project value: 200 000 €
Project funder: Lithuanian Research Council
Project duration: 36 months
Project timeline: 01 Sep 2024 - 31 Aug 2027
Principle investigator: Nathan Jay Baker
Project implementors: Lukas Petrulaitis, Diana Osadčaja, Olena Kudlai
Brief outline:
Lithuania is taking a bold step towards modernizing how it monitors the health of its rivers, aligning with the European Union's Water Framework Directive (WFD). With a goal to achieve 'good' ecological status in surface waters by 2027, this project aims to bridge the gap in river health assessments using cutting-edge DNA-based technology. Led by a diverse team of early-career researchers and environmental experts, this initiative has the potential to set new standards for biomonitoring across Europe. It's not just about improving Lithuania’s rivers; it's about leading the way for sustainable water management across the EU.
Project strategy:
Optimize current bioassessment methods by creating type-specific indices for plants and invertebrates, ensuring that Lithuania's monitoring is in line with EU guidelines.
Introduce a revolutionary eDNA-based approach, focusing on microorganisms to give a deeper, more accurate picture of river ecosystems.
Evaluate traditional taxonomy against DNA-based identification to enhance accuracy, adding invaluable genetic data to scientific libraries.
Keywords:
River biomonitoring in Lithuania | DNA-based ecological assessments | EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) | sustainable water management | environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring | type-specific bioassessment methods | ecological health of rivers | macrophyte and benthic invertebrate indices | river ecosystem protection | modernizing river monitoring | environmental conservation in Lithuania | innovative biomonitoring techniques | water quality assessments in Europe | DNA taxonomy vs morphology-based methods | Lithuanian river biodiversity
#Riverbiomonitoring #DNA #EU #WaterFrameworkDirective #WFD #eDNA #ecological #health #rivers #macrophyte #macroinvertebrate #ecosystem #Lithuania #biodiversity #biomonitoring #macroinvertebrates #communityecology #ecology #boreal #haemosporidian #malaria #avianmalaria #bird #disease #vector #parasite #diptera #simulidae #ceratopogoniidae #culicidae #river #lithuania #drivers #environment #science #baseline #anthropogenic #water #statistics #multivariate #aquatic #diversity #biodiversity #traits #biologicaltraits #nichemodleling #niche #redundancy #taxonomicdiversity #functionaldiversity #haemoproteus #plasmodium #leucocytozoon
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