Estimating Asian Carp abundance using environmental DNA

Grant: # 1197

Grant Amount: $249,999.00

Board Decision Year: 2011

University of Notre Dame - Center for Aquatic Conservation & Environmental Change Initiative (South Bend)

Center for Aquatic Conservation & Environmental Change Initiative

Lodge, David ([email protected]) 574-631-2849

GLFT - Ecosystem Health and Sustainable Fish Populations-D - Ecological and biological fisheries research to inform management

Project Details

Both environmental DNA (eDNA) results and the capture of a bighead carp attest that invasive carp are on the Lake Michigan side of the electric barriers in the Chicago Area Waterway System. However, it is uncertain how many invasive carp are responsible for the positive eDNA results. In this project, researchers conducted experiments to determine the relationships between the abundance of invasive carp and the amount of eDNA in a system. By stocking experimental ponds with silver and bighead carp, then testing the water for eDNA, they were able to quantify the amount of eDNA present in the environment over different spatial and temporal scales. They found that, while there is a positive relationship between carp abundance and amount of eDNA in the water, there is sufficient variability, often driven by environmental conditions, to make estimation of abundance from amount of eDNA very difficult.

Documents

Final Report Narrative	View - Lodge_et_al_eDNA_Final_Report_to_GLFT.pdf
2011.1197 Project Summary	View - 2011.1197_Lodge_Project_Summary.pdf