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eDNA games & environmental DNA teaching resources
Introduce biodiversity monitoring with River Detectives: a free eDNA sampling game, a 30–40 minute lesson and a printable student worksheet.
PLAY RIVER DETECTIVES →OPEN TEACHER ACTIVITY →
Suggested learners: ages 9–14 with adult support as needed · Lesson: 30–40 minutes · Access: free browser game, no account required. Adapt to your learners; no formal curriculum alignment claimed.
What is environmental DNA?
Environmental DNA (eDNA) is genetic material organisms leave in their surroundings. Water samples can contain traces from organisms that live in or use a waterway. Laboratory analysis can help investigate biodiversity without requiring every animal to be seen.
An eDNA detection is evidence of DNA in a sample. It does not by itself give an animal count or exact location. A non-detection does not prove a species is absent.
Learn eDNA sampling through River Detectives
Choose one of seven Victorian river areas or an ocean expedition off Cape Otway. Explore a top-down landscape, inspect suitable and unsuitable sites, prepare clean equipment, push water through a filter and interpret a simulated wildlife report.
Collect carefully
Identify kit parts, limit contamination and record filtered volume.
Interpret evidence
Distinguish a DNA detection from a wildlife census.
For practice, players push four 50 mL fills through one filter: 200 mL total. This is one shortened game sample, not a universal field target. The real project plan sets replicate numbers, volumes and controls. Marine sampling also needs a laboratory-approved plan.
START THE eDNA GAME →A 30–40 minute eDNA lesson
- Discuss — 5 minutes: How could we investigate wildlife we cannot see?
- Play — 10–15 minutes: In pairs, explore a region, inspect sites and complete the sampling mission.
- Record — 10 minutes: Complete the worksheet. Explain one site decision, identify contamination risks and interpret detections.
- Reflect — 5–10 minutes: Compare the game with real monitoring. Explain why repeated samples and controls matter.
Learning outcomes
- Describe environmental DNA and its use in biodiversity monitoring.
- Justify a sampling-site choice and explain contamination prevention.
- Distinguish syringe refills from independent replicate samples.
- Interpret detection and non-detection with appropriate limits.
eDNA classroom questions
How many samples and how much water are needed?
There is no universal answer for all surveys. The game links the chosen kit’s instructions and explains its shortened practice volume. A real sampling plan specifies replicate numbers, volumes, controls and preservation.
Are the wildlife results real?
No. They are regional teaching examples, clearly marked simulated. The linked Victorian survey explorer provides real inland results for comparison; the Cape Otway ocean mission is a fictional marine extension.
Do students need a sampling kit?
No. The classroom activity uses the game, paper and discussion. Students can learn the reasoning before considering a supervised field project.
Can eDNA tell us how many animals are there?
The game’s results cannot. A detection supports the presence of DNA, while abundance claims require additional validated methods and interpretation.
Key vocabulary
- Contamination
- Unwanted DNA introduced during sampling or analysis.
- Replicate
- A separate repeat sample in the survey design; refilling one syringe through one filter is not a new independent replicate.
- Control
- A sample or check used to help identify contamination or problems with the method.
- Detection
- A laboratory result identifying a DNA signal under the method’s reporting criteria.
Sources and further learning
- EnviroDNA water-kit protocol and illustrated sampling instructions.
- Real Victorian eDNA survey results explorer — compare real surveys with fictional game results.
- CoastAdapt: eDNA for monitoring biodiversity.
Sources checked 3 November 2026. This is introductory education, not a complete field protocol. Real work uses the laboratory’s current kit instructions and project sampling plan. No endorsement by the cited organisations is implied.