Date of Award
4-27-2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Environmental Sciences, MS
First Advisor
Brook Fluker
Committee Members
Bill Stroud; Maureen Dolan; Michael Schwemm
Call Number
LD251.A566t 2018 L44
Abstract
Analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA) represents a promising new tool geared toward assisting species detection, though there is still much to learn about its utility and robustness. The main objective of this study was to use eDNA with several other applied techniques to determine the presence of the federally threated Leopard Darter, Percina pantherina, within two tributaries of the Little River in Arkansas. Traditional field sampling failed to detect P. pantherina, and putative contamination prevented confident eDNA detection. My second objective used a spike experiment strategy to test the ability of the eDNA method to reliably detect low levels of DNA within environmental samples (both water and substrate) and to test replicability of DNA detection among sample replicates. Real-time PCR detected DNA in both sample types with no statistical difference in detection rate. Sample replicates exhibited large variation in positive detections, suggesting inconsistent repeatability for sample detection using eDNA methodology.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Lee, Taylor Kristen, "Analysis of Environmental DNA Methods for the Detection of Small Stream Fishes" (2018). Student Theses and Dissertations. 509.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/509
