2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference

March 13 - 15, 2022

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6/08/2017 | 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM | USING RECIRCULATING EXPERIMENTAL STREAMS TO QUANTIFY THE EFFECTS OF WATER VELOCITY AND BIOFILM COLONIZATION ON EDNA DETECTION AND DEGRADATION | 301A

USING RECIRCULATING EXPERIMENTAL STREAMS TO QUANTIFY THE EFFECTS OF WATER VELOCITY AND BIOFILM COLONIZATION ON EDNA DETECTION AND DEGRADATION

The application of environmental DNA (eDNA) to infer species presence in aquatic ecosystems has become a valuable tool in ecology. However, we are just beginning to understand how environmental conditions influence eDNA detection and persistence in natural systems. We built on results from previous research in microcosms, exploring eDNA dynamics in replicated array of recirculating experimental streams. To assess how biophysical conditions influenced eDNA persistence, we introduced eDNA into streams with a range of water velocities (0.1-0.8m/s) and biofilm coverage (0-100%), and monitored eDNA concentration declines over time (~10d). We compared degradation rates across the recirculating streams using biphasic decay models, suggesting that some eDNA material is labile and degrades quickly, while the remaining eDNA is resistant to decay. We found that the general presence of flow, regardless of velocity, significantly increased initial decay rates (4-12 day-1) relative to previous studies conducted in microcosms. We also found that the presence of biofilms significantly increased eDNA degradation. Understanding environmental factors controlling eDNA degradation is key to improving sampling strategies when using this tool for stream monitoring.

C12 Conservation Ecology
C14 Hydroecology
S25 Do mesocosm experiments play a meaningful role in freshwater research x S28 Shared pathways: contributions of citizen science to our freshwater future

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Presenters/Authors

Arial Shogren (), Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Michigan State University, shogrena@msu.edu;