Detection of a Small Streamside Salamander, the Northern Two-lined Salamander (Eurycea bislineata), in a Stream with eDNA
Date
2015-07-27
Authors
Kuppert, Sarah M
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Abstract
As the decline in the world's biodiversity threatens many species' survival, wildlife managers are in great need of information about species' status in the wild. This information is gathered through surveys that often have low cost-effectiveness, are time-intensive, and may harm the target species. For that reason, new surveying and monitoring methods should be explored. These new surveying and monitoring methods should improve the data gathering process and decrease or eliminate suboptimal aspects of traditional surveying methods. A new genetic monitoring tool, environmental DNA (eDNA), has the potential to revolutionize aquatic surveys because, compared to the traditional methods, it is non-invasive, more cost-effective, and less time-intensive. However, protocols for different species have to be developed because detection probability may vary, depending on the size and lifestyle of the species. In addition, molecular markers have to be developed that amplify the target species' DNA without amplifying closely related species. In this study I was able to detect the DNA of Two-lined salamanders with the eDNA method in four water samples of controlled environments and two stream water sample. The protocol developed in this study should be further tested in different streams with known and unknown presence of the target species.
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Keywords
Salamander, Eurycea bislineata, EDNA, Species presence, Non-invasive detection, Environmental DNA