Abstract
To assist in efforts to monitor the distribution and abundance of lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens, a species of conservation concern in Canada and the United States, we developed two quantitative PCR (qPCR) environmental DNA assays targeting the cytochrome c oxidase 1 (COI) and cytochrome b (cyt b) genes. Neither assay amplified DNA from the closely-related shortnose sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum, but species-specificity should be tested further. In field and laboratory trials, results from the cyt b assay always corresponded with species presence; the COI assay occasionally yielded false positives. The cyt b assay also showed promise in estimating relative abundance; Ct value (the number of PCR cycles at which DNA detection exceeds the background level) decreased with density in both the field and lab.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the Department of Biological Sciences animal holding staff for assistance with care and maintenance of fish, North/South Consultants for assistance with capture of adults, Cornel Ceapa (Acadian Sturgeon and Caviar) for supplying shortnose sturgeon tissue samples, and Erin Spice, Arfa Khan, and Rob Bajno for assistance with assay development.
Funding
Funding was provided by a University of Manitoba Undergraduate Research Award (MEY), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Discovery Grant (MFD), and the NSERC/Manitoba Hydro Industrial Research Chair program (WGA).
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All protocols were approved by the University of Manitoba Animal Care Committee in accordance with guidelines established by the Canadian Council of Animal Care.
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Yusishen, M.E., Eichorn, FC., Anderson, W.G. et al. Development of quantitative PCR assays for the detection and quantification of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) environmental DNA. Conservation Genet Resour 12, 17–19 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-018-1054-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-018-1054-8