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AUTHORS: Katy Klymus, Nathan Thompson, Karl Anderson, Duane Chapman, Cathy Richter - U.S. Geological Survey; Presenter: Craig Paukert, U.S. Geological Survey, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences
ABSTRACT: Estimating and monitoring population abundance is critical to effective species management. Such estimates can be particularly informative in managing invasive species by allowing for early detection, monitoring established populations, identifying habitat usage and testing effectiveness of management actions. Environmental DNA (eDNA) has been proposed as a tool that could be used to obtain relative abundance or biomass estimates of aquatic organisms. Biomass and eDNA shedding rates have been found to be highly correlated in lab-based studies, suggesting that eDNA may be similarly informative in the field. This study used a previously established regression to estimate bigheaded carp biomass from measured eDNA flux in the field. We then compared these eDNA-based values with biomass estimates from side-scan sonar data taken concurrently with eDNA sampling, as well as estimates from netting surveys conducted after eDNA sampling. All sampling took place February and September of 2015 in the Blackwater and Lamine Rivers which are tributaries of the Missouri River. We also compared biomass estimates from each of the three methods among river sites and sampling times. This study expands quantitative eDNA research from the lab and mesocosm arena to field assessments of Asian carp populations inhabiting the Missouri River basin. Ultimately this research will lead to better interpretation of eDNA data from the field.
