Simple soil eDNA sampling reveals terrestrial mammal diversity in the Central Kalahari and highlights waterholes as sampling hotspots
Tamara Schenekar, Emily Bennitt, Kaisara Kelebileone, Robynne Kotze, Andrew J. Loveridge, Ella Mutch, Tlotlo S. Ndaba, Pooja Singh
The paper demonstrates that soil eDNA metabarcoding near waterholes efficiently detects terrestrial mammal diversity in the Central Kalahari, outperforming road sampling and complementing camera trapping.
bioRxiv · Oct 12, 2026 · PreprintEcology