How will the ‘molecular revolution’ contribute to biological recording?

Soaring throughput, plummeting costs, and increased sensitivity for assaying degraded or low‐concentration DNA are driving a revolution in the way that we monitor biodiversity. Arguably the biggest ‘game‐changer’ is environmental DNA ( eDNA ), which refers to free‐floating DNA released by organisms into their environment. Rare or elusive species can be detected with greater sensitivity and accuracy using eDNA than by most conventional methods, and we have the capability to screen and describe whole communities, as well as perform targeted monitoring of single species. This paper discusses the basic approaches for molecular monitoring of biodiversity, provides case studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of the techniques, and considers any challenges and limitations that could impact molecular biological recording. It is argued that eDNA surveys offer exciting new opportunities to engage the public in biological recording and that molecular approaches will complement conventional surveys, enabling unprecedented insights into species distributions. Finally, with the number of eDNA studies increasing at a rapid pace, it is argued that there is a need to rapidly establish ways of managing molecular records. Integrating molecular records into existing biological records databases would enhance our understanding of species distributions and may be something that the B iological R ecords C entre should be considering to mark its landmark anniversary. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2015, ●● , ●●–●●.