Call for papers: Environmental DNA as biosignatures
Published in Earth & Environment, Ecology & Evolution, and Sustainability
Collection Overview
Scientific Reports has launched a Guest-Edited Collection on Environmental DNA as biosignatures.
Environmental DNA (eDNA), the genetic material shed by organisms into their surroundings, has emerged as a transformative tool for biodiversity monitoring, offering cost-effective and non-invasive methods to detect species and assess ecosystem health. This approach enables rapid insights into species presence, community composition, and ecological dynamics across aquatic, terrestrial, and aerial environments.
This will be a Collection of original research papers and will be open for submissions from all authors – on the condition that the manuscripts fall within the scope of the Collection and of Scientific Reports more generally. We are welcoming submissions until 18th August 2026.
Why are you excited about this Collection?
“I am excited about this Collection because eDNA offers robust biosignatures that help characterize biodiversity patterns, track ecological dynamics, and improve our understanding of how environmental processes shape genetic signals.” - Dr. Maha Mezghani Khemakhem
This Collection also supports and amplifies research related to SDG 15: Life on Land.
Why submit to a Collection?
Collections like this one help promote high-quality science. They are led by Guest Editors, who are experts in their fields, and In-House Editors and are supported by a dedicated team of Commissioning Editors and Managing Editors at Springer Nature. Collection manuscripts typically see higher citations, downloads, and Altmetric scores and provide a one-stop-shop on a cutting-edge topic of interest.
Who is involved?
Guest Editors:
- Luca Fontanesi, University of Bologna, Italy
- Anubhab Khan, Indian Institute of Science, India
- Maha Mezghani Khemakhem, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunisia
Internal Team:
- In-House Editor: Alakananda Karthick, Scientific Reports, India
- Commissioning Editor: Nancy Rogerson, Fully OA Brands, Springer Nature, UK
- Managing Editor: Sarah Jane Hunt, Fully OA Brands, Springer Nature, UK
How can I submit my paper?
Visit the Collection Page to find out more about this Collection and how to submit your article.
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Scientific Reports
An open access journal publishing original research from across all areas of the natural sciences, psychology, medicine and engineering.
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A Collection of original research articles that advance environmental DNA science through innovations in sampling, extraction, and analysis.
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Proximate composition and mineral analysis of bee pollen from three
monofloral sources: Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Guizotia abyssinica, and
Acacia abyssinica
Kasim Roba Jilo1,3
· Yadesa Abeshu Erena2
Received: 24 March 2024 / Accepted: 15 December 2025
© African Association of Insect Scientists 2026
Abstract
Bee pollen, the male gametophyte of flowers collected by honeybees, is considered a superfood due to its rich nutritional
compounds and microelements. Despite its growing use as a functional food, scientific evidence on its nutritional and
mineral composition remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the proximate composition and mineral content of
bee pollen from Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Guizotia abyssinica, and Acacia abyssinica in Ethiopia to address this knowl
edge gap. Species-level variation in protein, lipid, carbohydrate, ash, and mineral contents was observed, indicating that
botanical origin strongly influences the nutritional properties of bee pollen. Among the three species, Guizotia abyssinica,
a native oil-seed crop, was particularly rich in minerals and proximate compounds. Despite being collected from the
same environmental conditions, significant differences in mineral levels and nutrient composition were evident among
E. camaldulensis, G. abyssinica, and A. abyssinica, highlighting their species-specific nutritional profiles. These findings
provide valuable insights for selecting bee pollen sources with high nutraceutical potential and contribute to the broader
understanding of bee pollen composition for dietary and functional food applications.
Keywords Proximate composition · Mineral analysis · Eucalyptus camaldulensis · Guizotia abyssinica · Acacia
abyssinic