Can environmental DNA (eDNA) be used for detection and monitoring of introduced crab species in the Baltic Sea?
The need to detect and monitor introduced marine species has increased with the increasing number of marine invasions. To complement standard detection and monitoring techniques, new approaches using environmental DNA (eDNA) have recently been developed. However, most of the eDNA work has focused on vertebrate species in spatially limited freshwater habitats while benthic invertebrates in coastal environments have received much less attention. Here, we evaluated the suitability of the eDNA approach for detecting benthic, hard-shelled, crustacean mud crab species in a brackish water environment. We demonstrated for the first time that eDNA from an introduced mud crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii can be successfully amplified in aquarium water samples and detected in the brackish water environment. However, the detection rate was rather low. This suggests that in contrast to freshwater vertebrates, it may be more challenging to develop a highly sensitive eDNA method for detecting crustacean species in a marine environment.
Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, FIN 20014 Turku, Finland. Electronic address: ttfors@utu.fi.
Tiia
T
Forsström
Section of Genetics and Physiology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, FIN 20014 Turku, Finland; Department of Aquaculture, Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, 51014 Tartu, Estonia.
Anti
A
Vasemägi
D000818:Animals; D003386:Brachyura / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis*; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005618:Fresh Water; D058865:Introduced Species; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
D004247:DNA
Biological invasions; Brackish water; Detection; Rhithropanopeus harrisii; eDNA