Genetics and eDNA

The USGS and partners are conducting environmental DNA (eDNA) research in the Colorado River downstream from Glen Canyon Dam and in Lake Powell to detect invasive fish species and other aquatic threats before they become established. eDNA is a cutting-edge technology that makes it possible to identify invasive species before they are visible, even in vast or hard-to-survey environments like rivers...

The Island Night Lizard ( Xantusia riversiana) was removed from the Federal list of Threatened species in May 2014. This rare and unique species represents an ancient lineage whose members are now sparsely distributed across parts of the Southwest North America, south through Mexico to the New World Tropics. The information on population size and habitat helps to inform and guide conservation and...

The U.S. Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC) is uniquely positioned in the Colorado River Basin to provide sound information, specialized expertise, and innovative tools to support the management and sustained use of natural resources on public and Tribal lands in the Southwest U.S.

In the western United States (U.S.), there are many regionally restricted, rare species resulting from complex demographic and ecological processes through time. In addition to the inherent risks associated with being rare (i.e., having few individuals spread over a limited area that could be disproportionately affected by chance events), anthropogenic disturbances are increasing in magnitude...