Ecological and management questions often require quantitative estimates of abundance for species of interest. Answering that with environmental DNA (eDNA) means understanding the ways eDNA observations do, and do not, reflect underlying abundance, and being able to communicate those limits clearly.

In this webinar, Dr. Ryan Kelly highlights ongoing quantitative work in both single-species and multi-species contexts and at a range of spatial scales, with particular emphasis on eDNA being used for practical management purposes. As eDNA analyses become more common and more sophisticated, it is increasingly tractable to know more precisely what we’re measuring.

Ryan is a Professor at the University of Washington, where he directs the eDNA Collaborative and serves as Associate Director of the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. He is also a Strategic Advisor to Wilderlab. Ryan holds a PhD in Evolution, Ecology, and Environmental Biology from Columbia University and a JD from the University of California, Berkeley.