Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Water Flow And Biofilm Cover Influence Environmental Dna Detection In Recirculating Streams, Arial Shogren, Jennifer L. Tank, Scott P. Egan, Olivia August, Emma J. Rosi, Brittany R. Hanrahan, Mark A. Renshaw, Crysta A. Gantz, Diogo Bolster

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The increasing use of environmental DNA (eDNA) for determination of species presence in aquatic ecosystems is an invaluable technique for both ecology as a field and for the management of aquatic ecosystems. We examined the degradation dynamics of fish eDNA using an experimental array of recirculating streams, also using a “nested” primer assay to estimate degradation among eDNA fragment sizes. We introduced eDNA into streams with a range of water velocities (0.1–0.8 m s–1) and substrate biofilm coverage (0–100%) and monitored eDNA concentrations over time (∼10 d) to assess how biophysical conditions influence eDNA persistence. We found that the presence …