A review and case study on the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect species in urban streams
Disciplines
Biodiversity | Other Animal Sciences | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
Abstract (300 words maximum)
As urbanization increases, it is becoming increasingly important to understand its impacts on biological communities. Degraded systems often see a loss in native biodiversity due to changes in habitat availability and quality. Monitoring changes to the community composition of urban landscapes allows researchers to better understand and mitigate the effects of urban development on natural systems. One relatively new method of species detection uses DNA shed into the environment (environmental DNA [eDNA]), to determine species presence. eDNA offers a less disruptive, often faster method of determining species presence compared to traditional surveys. However, some characteristics of urban systems potentially undermine the accuracy and validity of eDNA-based species detection. We review the use of eDNA in urban streams, with emphasis on potential detection problems. We also describe a case study in which we collected eDNA from 25 streams in Atlanta, GA to characterize plethodontid salamander communities. eDNA did not detect plethodontid salamanders at multiple sites with visually confirmed salamander presence, suggesting potential environmental or methodological problems with our use of eDNA in an urban setting.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Todd W. Pierson
A review and case study on the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect species in urban streams
As urbanization increases, it is becoming increasingly important to understand its impacts on biological communities. Degraded systems often see a loss in native biodiversity due to changes in habitat availability and quality. Monitoring changes to the community composition of urban landscapes allows researchers to better understand and mitigate the effects of urban development on natural systems. One relatively new method of species detection uses DNA shed into the environment (environmental DNA [eDNA]), to determine species presence. eDNA offers a less disruptive, often faster method of determining species presence compared to traditional surveys. However, some characteristics of urban systems potentially undermine the accuracy and validity of eDNA-based species detection. We review the use of eDNA in urban streams, with emphasis on potential detection problems. We also describe a case study in which we collected eDNA from 25 streams in Atlanta, GA to characterize plethodontid salamander communities. eDNA did not detect plethodontid salamanders at multiple sites with visually confirmed salamander presence, suggesting potential environmental or methodological problems with our use of eDNA in an urban setting.