title: eDNA and specific primers for early detection of invasive species--A case study on the bivalve Rangia cuneata, currently spreading in Europe.
abstract: Intense human activities facilitate the successful spread and establishment of non-indigenous aquatic organisms in marine and freshwater ecosystems. In some cases such intrusions result in noticeable and adverse changes in the recipient environments. In the Baltic Sea, the discovery and rapid initial spread of the North American wedge clam Rangia cuneata represents a new wave of invasion which may trigger unpredictable changes of the local benthic communities. In this study we present a species-specific DNA-based marker developed in silico and experimentally tested on environmental samples. Marker specificity and sensitivity were assessed in vitro from water samples containing different mixtures of the target species and other five bivalves currently present in the region: the native Cerastoderma glaucum, Macoma balthica and Mytilus trossulus, the invasive Dreissena polymorpha and the cryptogenic Mya arenaria. Cross-species amplification was not found in any case. The method allows to detecting at least 0.4 ng of R. cuneata DNA per μl, and 0.1 g of tissue per liter of water. Finally, the marker performance was assessed in water samples from the Baltic Sea and Vistula Lagoon. The coincidence between independent visual observations of R. cuneata and positive PCR amplification of the marker from the water samples confirmed the efficiency of this highly reproducible, fast, and technically easy method. R. cuneata traces can be detected from environmental DNA even when the population is sparse and small, enabling rapid management responses and allowing to track the invasion dynamics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, C/ Julian Claveria s/n, 33006 Oviedo, Spain; Marine Science and Technology Centre, Klaipeda University, H. Manto 84, LT 92294 Klaipeda, Lithuania. Electronic address: alarguti@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Alba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ardura
authors.affiliation: Marine Science and Technology Centre, Klaipeda University, H. Manto 84, LT 92294 Klaipeda, Lithuania; Coastal and Freshwater Group, Cawthron Institute, 98 Halifax Street East, 7010 Nelson, New Zealand. Electronic address: anastasija@corpi.ku.lt.
authors.forename: Anastasija
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zaiko
authors.affiliation: Unit of DNA Analysis, Scientific-Technical Services, University of Oviedo, Edificio Severo Ochoa, Campus del Cristo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain. Electronic address: secuenciacion@spi.uniovi.es.
authors.forename: Jose L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.affiliation: Marine Science and Technology Centre, Klaipeda University, H. Manto 84, LT 92294 Klaipeda, Lithuania. Electronic address: aurelija@corpi.ku.lt.
authors.forename: Aurelija
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Samulioviene
authors.affiliation: Atlantic Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography, Kaliningrad, Russia. Electronic address: a.s.semenowa@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Semenova
authors.affiliation: Department of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, C/ Julian Claveria s/n, 33006 Oviedo, Spain. Electronic address: egv@uniovi.es.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garcia-Vazquez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D049872:Bivalvia / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D058865:Introduced Species; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012426:Russia; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: Baltic Sea; Non-indigenous species; Rangia cuneata; Species-specific marker; Vistula Lagoon; eDNA