Publications

Environmental DNA (eDNA) concentration varies through space and time, and measurements collected close together are often correlated. Ignoring this dependence can inflate the rate of incorrect ecological inferences (Type I error rate). Although spatial correlation in eDNA has received considerable attention, temporal correlation has been less well studied. Statistical models and study...

Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling is a noninvasive alternative to conventional methods of surveying insects that may be particularly useful for detecting pollinators. We developed a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay to detect the DNA of Franklin’s bumble bee (Bombus franklini) from flower samples and conducted an initial test of the assay using samples collected within...

Throughout the canyons of the Colorado and Uncompahgre Plateaus, water is a limited resource for wildlife, with patchy distribution and seasonal availability. Tributary creeks within these canyons drain into mainstem rivers, providing habitat and breeding sites for native amphibians. Yet, little is known about the diversity and distribution of amphibians that live in these harsh, dynamic

Filtering water is currently the primary field method used for collecting aquatic environmental DNA (eDNA). One of the drawbacks of filtering is the need to transfer the filter from the filter housing to a preservative-filled container in the field. New products are being developed to avoid this handling step, but comparative studies are needed to ensure that the results produced by new...

The development of environmental DNA (eDNA) methods for terrestrial arthropods could be transformative for the difficult task of assessing the status of species of conservation concern. The primary goal of this study was to investigate the efficacy of detecting the Dakota skipper (Hesperia dacotae) from its DNA left behind on inflorescences as a means of inferring species presence. We...

Limitations of traditional insect sampling methods have motivated the development and optimisation of new non-lethal methods capable of quantifying diverse arthropod communities. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding using arthropod-specific primers has recently been investigated as a novel way to characterise arthropod communities from the DNA they deposit on the surface of plants...

Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has become a transformative technology, but sample collection methods lack standardization and sampling at effective frequencies requires considerable field effort. Autonomous eDNA samplers that can sample water at high frequencies offer potential solutions to these problems. We present results from four case studies using a prototype autonomous eDNA...

Reintroduction efforts are increasingly used to mitigate biodiversity losses, but are frequently challenged by inadequate planning and uncertainty. High quality information about population status and threats can be used to prioritize reintroduction and restoration efforts and can transform ad hoc approaches into opportunities for improving conservation outcomes at a landscape scale. We...

The potential to provide inferences about fish abundance from environmental (e)DNA samples has generated great interest. However, the accuracy of these abundance estimates is often low and variable across species and space. A plausible refinement is the use of common aquatic habitat monitoring data to account for attributes that influence eDNA dynamics. We therefore evaluated the...

Resource managers may be hesitant to make decisions based on environmental (e)DNA results alone since eDNA is an indirect method of species detection. One way to reduce the uncertainty of eDNA is to identify laboratory‐based protocols that ensure repeatable and reproducible results. We conducted a double‐blind round‐robin analysis of probe‐based assays for DNA of dreissenid (Dreissena...

This study explores the feasibility and utility of integrating environmental DNA (eDNA) assessments of species occurrences into the United States (U.S.) Geological Survey’s national streamgage network. We used an existing network of five gages in southwest Idaho to explore the type of information that could be gained as well as the associated costs and limitations. Hydrologic technicians...

The costs of invasive species in the United States alone are estimated to exceed US$100 billion per year so a critical tactic in minimizing the costs of invasive species is the development of effective, early-detection systems. To this end, we evaluated the efficacy of adding environmental (e)DNA surveillance to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgage network, which consists of > 8...