Detecting the movement and spawning activity of bigheaded carps with environmental DNA

Abstract

Bigheaded carps are invasive fishes threatening to invade the Great Lakes basin and establish spawning populations, and have been monitored using environmental DNA (eDNA). Not only does eDNA hold potential for detecting the presence of species, but may also allow for quantitative comparisons like relative abundance of species across time or space. We examined the relationships among bigheaded carp movement, hydrography, spawning and eDNA on the Wabash River, IN, USA. We found positive relationships between eDNA and movement and eDNA and hydrography. We did not find a relationship between eDNA and spawning activity in the form of drifting eggs. Our first finding demonstrates how eDNA may be used to monitor species abundance, whereas our second finding illustrates the need for additional research into eDNA methodologies. Current applications of eDNA are widespread, but the relatively new technology requires further refinement.

Distinct seasonal migration patterns of Japanese native and non‐native genotypes of common carp estimated by environmental DNA

“…A recent study demonstrated that the existence of target DNA was correlated with the migration range of anadromous fish (Yamanaka & Minamoto, ). Another study demonstrated a significant positive correlation between DNA concentration and the number of bighead carp detected by telemetry in a spawning habitat in which the increase in DNA was presumably attributable to the individuals that migrated for spawning (Erickson et al., ). These studies, together with the present study, suggest the great potential of the eDNA method for monitoring seasonal animal movement.…”

The detection of aquatic macroorganisms using environmental DNA analysis—A review of methods for collection, extraction, and detection

“…In contrast, the D-loop region is useful as a genetic marker because it is thought to be highly species specific, although it requires more careful attention in the selection of conserved sites when designing primers, because it has higher intraspecific diversity than other regions. A few studies also suggested that nuclear DNA also sensitive genetic marker for species identification in eDNA studies (Erickson et al, 2016;Minamoto et al, 2017). The species-specific primer is carefully designed either manually or available software, such as Primer 3 (Rozen & Skaletsky, 2000), Primer Express (Gene Codes Corporation, Ann Arbor, MI) or ecoPCR (Ficetola et al, 2010).…”

Environmental DNA analysis as a non‐invasive quantitative tool for reproductive migration of a threatened endemic fish in rivers

“…Despite this, degree of correlation between eDNA concentration and abundance demonstrated in the field is variable between studies. A recent study of a stream‐dwelling char demonstrated a high correlation (Wilcox et al, ), but other studies reported marginally significant correlations or secondary contribution of abundance to eDNA amount (Doi et al, ; Erickson et al, ; Lacoursière‐Roussel, Côté, Leclerc, & Bernatchez, ; Klobucar, Rodgers, & Budy, ; Nevers et al, ; Pilliod, Goldberg, Arkle, Waits, & Richardson, ; Thomsen et al, ; Yamamoto et al, ). In some studies, eDNA concentration did not correlate with the biomass of the target animals (Biggs et al, ; Spear, Groves, Williams, & Waits, ).…”