title: Detecting the movement and spawning activity of bigheaded carps with environmental DNA.
abstract: Bigheaded carps are invasive fishes threatening to invade the Great Lakes basin and establish spawning populations, and have been monitored using environmental DNA (eDNA). Not only does eDNA hold potential for detecting the presence of species, but may also allow for quantitative comparisons like relative abundance of species across time or space. We examined the relationships among bigheaded carp movement, hydrography, spawning and eDNA on the Wabash River, IN, USA. We found positive relationships between eDNA and movement and eDNA and hydrography. We did not find a relationship between eDNA and spawning activity in the form of drifting eggs. Our first finding demonstrates how eDNA may be used to monitor species abundance, whereas our second finding illustrates the need for additional research into eDNA methodologies. Current applications of eDNA are widespread, but the relatively new technology requires further refinement.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, WI, USA.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4649-482X
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Erickson
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, WI, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Rees
authors.affiliation: Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Alison A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Coulter
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, WI, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Merkes
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, WI, USA.
authors.forename: Sunnie G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: McCalla
authors.affiliation: Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Touzinsky
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, WI, USA.
authors.forename: Liza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Walleser
authors.affiliation: Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Reuben R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Goforth
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, WI, USA.
authors.forename: Jon J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Amberg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002347:Carps / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D007196:Indiana; D008124:Locomotion; D056186:Metagenomics / Q000379:methods*; D012098:Reproduction; D045483:Rivers; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D014867:Water; D004247:DNA
keywords: Asian carp; bigheaded carp; environmental monitoring; fisheries management; invasive species detection