What does the ‘score’ in my results mean?

This is the number of qPCR replicates that successfully amplified GCN eDNA. A total of 12 replicates are performed on each sample during qPCR. A low score can be interpreted as a sample containing a low amount of GCN eDNA, whereas a high score can be interpreted as a sample containing a high amount of GCN eDNA. Samples with a score of 1 are still classed as positive for GCN in accordance with the Natural England protocol, but we would recommend that these ponds are resurveyed for GCN using conventional survey or eDNA survey to confirm species presence. Note that a negative result does not preclude the presence of GCN eDNA at a concentration below that which can be detected with qPCR. If GCN individuals are present in low abundance, they may not be shedding enough DNA into the water column to enable it to be captured and amplified.