Arizona Project
AFS Standard Fish Sampling Techniques and Environmental DNA (eDNA) for Characterizing Fish Relative Abundance, Biomass, and Species Composition in Small Standing Waters (< 23 ha)
September 2013 - July 2018
Personnel
Participating Agencies
- AZ Game and Fish
Recently, examination of deoxyribiose nucleic acids in water samples (environmental DNA or eDNA) has shown promise for identifying fish species present in water bodies. In water, eDNA is the result of bodily secretions such as mucus, gametes, and feces. We investigated whether eDNA can be effective for characterizing fish relative abundance, biomass, and species composition in small (<200 ha) waterbodies. We compared fish relative abundance, biomass measured through eDNA methods and established American Fisheries Society (AFS) standard sampling methods in a subset of small Arizona lakes. We found no relationship between relative abundance and biomass of these fish captured by established methods and their DNA copies at individual sites A thesis was finished on this work in May, 2016. Partners included AZGFD.
| Theses and Dissertations | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| Perez, C. R. 2016. Relationship between American Fisheries Society standard fish sampling techniques and environmental DNA (eDNA) for characterizing fish presence, relative abundance, biomass and species composition in Arizona standing waters. Master's Thesis, University of Arizona, Tucson. | May 2016 |