Tennessee Project: Environmental DNA Surveillance of Rare species

Tennessee Project

Environmental DNA Surveillance of Rare species

January 2022 - January 2025

Personnel

Participating Agencies

Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge System
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

The aim of the proposed project is to use environmental DNA (eDNA) surveillance to monitor Little Chucky Creek and associated tributaries with similar habitat features within its known and former range for the presence of chucky madtom (a federally endangered catfish) known from only two systems, Little Chucky Creek and Dunn Creek.

While likely extirpated (doesn't exist in the wild) from Dunn Creek, the chucky madtom may still exist in a small stretch (3 km) of the Little Chucky Creek. However, given the rarity and cryptic behavior of this fish, surveillance with traditional methods (e.g., snorkeling or kick-seining) is time consuming, may yield inaccurate detection, or harm the species.

Environmental DNA may offer an alternative surveillance option for this small, cryptic, and extremely rare fish species. Environmental DNA surveillance works by collecting a water sample from targeted sites with no harm or harassment to the animal or habitat, and offers a less time-consuming and more sensitive surveillance method for rare and cryptic species.

Research Publications

Research Publications	Publication Date
Paine, R.T.R., M.W. Rogers, and A. E. Rosenberger. 2024. Environmental DNA (eDNA) surveillance of the federally threatened Slender Chub (Erimystax cahni) in the Clinch River and Powell River. U.S. Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Cooperator Science Series FWS/CSS-156-2024, Washington, D.C. https://doi.org/ 10.3996/css55463605 (IP-156546) \| Abstract	July 2024	The slender chub (<i>Erimystax cahni</i>) is a federally threatened fish native to and geographically restricted to eastern North America. More specifically, the Powell, Clinch, and lower Holston Rivers in Tennessee were historical collection areas. Habitat degradation from multiple sources, including surface mining, agriculture, dams, and urbanization, is associated with the decline of this species - an obligate inhabitant of gravel shoals in large rivers. As of 1964, only 15 voucher specimens were known and no living specimens were documented for decades. A federal recovery plan and Species Status Assessment were developed to determine if slender chub still exists and could be restored. Given the lack of recent observations using conventional sampling to search for its presence, we used environmental DNA sampling to determine their potential presence. Our specific objectives were to (1) develop a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay aimed at species-specific detection and (2) sample historically known areas of collection. We sampled 43 sites in the Clinch and Powell Rivers. For the first time in almost two decades, we provide the first evidence for the continued existence of a putatively extinct species. We detected evidence of <i>E. cahni</i> in both the Powell and Clinch Rivers, but only at a few sites. We cannot confirm the presence of <i>E. cahni</i>, and positive eDNA matches could be attributed to amplification from a hybrid. Our results do indicate presence of slender chub DNA perseveres in the system and can inform resource agencies of localities to pursue on-the-ground searches for the slender chub with conventional methods (e.g., snorkeling) and potential restoration and recovery sites.

Presentations

Presentations	Presentation Date
Swain-Menzell, R.T.R. Paine, and A.E. Rosenberger. 2024. Detection and Modeling of Darters and Madtoms: eDNA Surveillance of Imperiled Southeastern US Fishes. Poster presentation for the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, Chatanooga, TN. January 2024.	January 2024
Paine, R.T.R., M.W. Rogers, and A.E. Rosenberger. 2024. Environmental DNA surveillance of a Clarias catfish in southeastern Puerto Rico. September, 2024. American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting.	September 2024

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Tennessee Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources