In the face of global change, greater knowledge of the planet’s past and present ecosystems is more important than ever to manage biodiversity loss and set conservation priorities. A deeper understanding of interactions among living things and their environment is also required to manage ecosystem services and prevent the spread of harmful pathogens worldwide. Fueled by recent technological advances, DNA and RNA from environmental samples (eDNA/eRNA) are increasingly being used to help meet this need for knowledge. The application of eDNA/eRNA methods helps us evaluate community composition and answer various questions regarding biotic interactions within and between ecosystems. Furthermore, eDNA/eRNA approaches can provide insights into direct and indirect biotic interactions and various evolutionary phenomena.

Given the actual and potential impacts of eDNA and eRNA technology on the field of ecology,BMC Ecology and Evolutionhas launched a new Collection to bring together research using eDNA/eRNA approaches to:

• 分析过去和现在的生物多样性。
• 监测生态系统健康和动态（例如污染反应，入侵物种检测，物种分布和种间病原体传播）。
• Analyse diet and trophic interactions, along with other symbioses (e.g. predator-prey, host-parasite and plant-pollinator interactions).
• Detect endangered, rare or cryptic species.
• SupportSustainable Development Goal (SDG)6: Clean Water and Sanitation,SDG14: Life Below Water或者SDG15: Life on Land执行。

Despite the many and growing strengths of eDNA/eRNA technology, the tool is often reported to have methodological and financial constraints. Such problems include sample collection, sample degradation, inference of spatiotemporal dynamics and taxonomic assignment. Therefore, we also encourage submissions that address technological and economic challenges in applying eDNA and eRNA technology in ecology and conservation biology.

将根据标准评估该系列中的发表文章BMC Ecology and Evolutioneditorial criteria and will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process overseen by Editorial Board MemberAssociate Professor Luke Jacobus（美国印第安纳大学），Associate Professor Cyprian Katongo(University of Zambia) andAssociate Professor Luisa Orsini(University of Birmingham, UK). If accepted for publication, an文章处理费applies (withstandard waiver policy).

该系列现已开放供提交！

To submit to the collection, please click这里. Please state in your cover letter that your manuscript is for the “Applications of Environmental DNA and RNA in Ecology” collection. Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure you have carefully read the submission guidelines forBMC Ecology and Evolution. For pre-submission inquiries, please contact Jennifer Harman (jennifer.harman@springernature.com), the Editor ofBMC Ecology and Evolution.

To view the articles already published in this Collection, please visit our website: https://www.biomedcentral.com/collections/aedre