Characterizing the distribution of the critically endangered estuarine pipefish (<i>Syngnathus watermeyeri</i>) across its range using environmental <scp>DNA</scp>

Nester, Georgia M.; Heydenrych, Matthew J.; Berry, Tina E.; Richards, Zoe T.; Wasserman, Johan; White, Nicole E.; Brauwer, Maarten De; Bunce, Michael; Takahashi, Miwa; Claassens, Louw

doi:10.1002/edn3.365

Cited by 12 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 106 publications

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“…The ability to detect elusive species is one of the main advocated benefits of eDNA. Aquatic eDNA studies have detected rare and elusive fish ( Weltz et al, 2017 ; Nester et al, 2022 ), amphibians ( Plante et al, 2021 ), birds ( Neice & McRae, 2021 ) and marine mammals ( Ma et al, 2016 ; Juhel et al, 2021 ). Recently, eDNA left on agave flowers in Mexico and Texas ( Walker et al, 2022 ) and in guano deposits in Redwood tree hollows in California ( Armstrong et al, 2022 ) have been used to successfully detect roosting and migrating bats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Out of thin air: surveying tropical bat roosts through air sampling of eDNA

Garrett

Watkins

Francis

et al. 2023

PeerJ

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Understanding roosting behaviour is essential to bat conservation and biomonitoring, often providing the most accurate methods of assessing bat population size and health. However, roosts can be challenging to survey, e.g., physically impossible to access or presenting risks for researchers. Disturbance during monitoring can also disrupt natural bat behaviour and present material risks to the population such as disrupting hibernation cycles. One solution to this is the use of non-invasive monitoring approaches. Environmental (e)DNA has proven especially effective at detecting rare and elusive species particularly in hard-to-reach locations. It has recently been demonstrated that eDNA from vertebrates is carried in air. When collected in semi-confined spaces, this airborne eDNA can provide remarkably accurate profiles of biodiversity, even in complex tropical communities. In this study, we deploy novel airborne eDNA collection for the first time in a natural setting and use this approach to survey difficult to access potential roosts in the neotropics. Using airborne eDNA, we confirmed the presence of bats in nine out of 12 roosts. The identified species matched previous records of roost use obtained from photographic and live capture methods, thus demonstrating the utility of this approach. We also detected the presence of the white-winged vampire bat (Diaemus youngi) which had never been confirmed in the area but was long suspected based on range maps. In addition to the bats, we detected several non-bat vertebrates, including the big-eared climbing rat (Ototylomys phyllotis), which has previously been observed in and around bat roosts in our study area. We also detected eDNA from other local species known to be in the vicinity. Using airborne eDNA to detect new roosts and monitor known populations, particularly when species turnover is rapid, could maximize efficiency for surveyors while minimizing disturbance to the animals. This study presents the first applied use of airborne eDNA collection for ecological analysis moving beyond proof of concept to demonstrate a clear utility for this technology in the wild.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Out of thin air: surveying tropical bat roosts through air sampling of eDNA

Garrett

Watkins

Francis

et al. 2023

PeerJ

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show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Out of thin air: surveying tropical bat roosts through air sampling of eDNA

Garrett

Watkins

Francis

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Understanding roosting behaviour is essential to bat conservation and biomonitoring, often providing the most accurate methods of assessing population size and health. However, roosts can be challenging to survey. Roosts can be physically impossible to access or present risks for researchers and disturbance during monitoring can disrupt natural bat behaviour and present material risks to the population e.g. disrupting hibernation cycles. One solution to this is the use of non-invasive monitoring approaches. Environmental (e)DNA has proven especially effective at detecting rare and elusive species particularly in hard-to-reach locations. It has recently been demonstrated that eDNA is carried in air and, when collected in semi-confined spaces can provide remarkably accurate profiles of biodiversity, even in complex tropical communities. In this study we deploy novel airborne eDNA collection for air for the first time in a natural setting and use this approach to survey difficult to access potential roosts in the neotropics. Using airborne eDNA we confirmed the presence of bats in 9 out of 12 roosts. The identified species matched previous historical records of roost use obtained from photographic and live capture methods demonstrating the utility of this approach. We also detected the presence of the white-winged vampire bat (Diaemus youngi) which had never been confirmed in the area but was long suspected. In addition to the bats, we also detected several non-bat vertebrates, including the big-eared climbing rat (Ototylomys phyllotis), which has previously been observed in and around bat roosts. We also detected eDNA from other local species known to be in the vicinity. Using airborne eDNA to detect new roosts and monitor known populations, particularly when species turnover is rapid, could maximize efficiency for surveyors while minimizing disturbance to the animals. This study presents the first applied use of airborne eDNA collection for ecological analysis and demonstrates a clear utility for this technology in the wild.

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“…The estuarine pipefish previously occurred in five estuaries in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa and is now confined to two estuaries in the region (Nester et al, 2022). The population size is small (Weiss et al, 2022) and it was once thought to be locally extinct in the Kariega Estuary (Whitfield and Bruton, 1996).…”

Section: Solely Estuarine Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life cycles and challenges for fish species that breed in South African estuaries

Whitfield

2023

Journal of Fish Biology

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The literature currently recognizes four guilds of estuarine resident fish species, namely solely estuarine, estuarine and marine, estuarine and freshwater, and estuarine migrant. In this review the life cycles of actual representatives from these four guilds are assessed to determine whether the current definitions, which have never been formally tested, are appropriate to fish species resident in South African estuaries. Detailed information and diagrammatic life cycles are provided for the selected species covered by this review. A potential new estuarine resident guild category is also identified, namely, those taxa that are primarily estuarine but also have subpopulations recorded in both adjacent marine and freshwater habitats. The full range of reproductive characteristics employed by estuary resident species is examined, ranging from live bearers, pouch and nest brooders, to a suite of oviparous taxa that attach their ova to estuarine rocks, shells, and submerged vegetation, all of which assists with larval retention within the estuarine environment. The small size and early reproductive maturity of most estuarine resident species is highlighted, with reduced vulnerability to predation in shallow, sheltered, often turbid estuary waters offering considerable protection during spawning events when compared to the open ocean. In addition, these small fish would not have to move considerable distances at any stage of their life cycle, since egg, larval, juvenile, and adult stages all occur in the same place. The existence of contingent subpopulations within many estuarine resident species is noted, physico‐chemical stresses on these species are highlighted, and the eurytopic nature of these small fish taxa emphasized.

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Characterizing the distribution of the critically endangered estuarine pipefish (Syngnathus watermeyeri) across its range using environmental DNA

Cited by 12 publications

References 106 publications

Out of thin air: surveying tropical bat roosts through air sampling of eDNA

Out of thin air: surveying tropical bat roosts through air sampling of eDNA

Out of thin air: surveying tropical bat roosts through air sampling of eDNA

Life cycles and challenges for fish species that breed in South African estuaries

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