Dr Danijela Vidaković (UB-ICTM), Maria Mercedes Nicolosi Gelis (ILPLA), and Dr Pablo Sotelo (FCQ-UNA) completed their secondment at Sylphium L.S. (Groningen, the Netherlands).

The secondments continued the review of existing DNA extraction methodologies. Work focused on designing and testing an improved workflow that is faster, less time-consuming, and suitable for direct field application. As part of the optimization process, different algal cultures were tested to assess the efficiency of various lysis methods, providing important insights to strengthen the protocol.

During the secondments, work on a review of existing methodologies for phytoplankton eDNA also progressed, contributing to the development of a comprehensive methodological review and the writing of a review paper.

This optimization work will continue at Sylphium L.S. with students from Argentina and Paraguay, who will further test lysis methods and extraction steps on additional phytoplankton cultures. Their upcoming experiments are expected to refine the workflow and ultimately establish an optimal protocol for phytoplankton eDNA isolation.