We appreciate the conversation put forward by Iversen et al. (2015) in their response to our article “Quantification of eDNA shedding rates from invasive bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix” in the 2015 environmental DNA special issue of Biological Conservation.
We agree with Iversen et al.'s concern about overly optimistic conclusions that could be drawn from the current eDNA literature. One hope for eDNA technology is that it can be used in estimating abundance or population density. Evidence suggests that eDNA measurements correlate with total biomass (Takahara et al., 2012) rather than abundance. We demonstrate a similar relationship between biomass and eDNA shedding rates. Nevertheless, without field testing of these methods and specific survey protocols, we cannot make strong conclusions regarding the technique's field applicability. In our manuscript, we attempted to point out areas in which more research is needed.
Citation Information
| Publication Year | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Title | A reply to Iversen et al.'s comment “Monitoring of animal abundance by environmental DNA - An increasingly obscure perspective” |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.biocon.2015.09.025 |
| Authors | Katy E. Klymus, Catherine A. Richter, Duane C. Chapman, Craig P. Paukert |
| Publication Type | Article |
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Series Title | Biological Conservation |
| Index ID | 70189125 |
| Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
| USGS Organization | Columbia Environmental Research Center; Coop Res Unit Atlanta |
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Cathy Richter, PhD
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