ECALS: Loading studies interim report October 2013

Here we follow up the loading studies interim report from July 2013 and include results from laboratory studies assessing the effects of diet on eDNA shedding rates by bigheaded carps(silver and bighead carp). In order to understand how eDNA behavesin the environment, we must understand how it enters the system. In our July interim report, we addressed three of our four hypotheses that could influence the shedding rate of eDNA by these fish (Table 1; hypotheses A, B and D). We now provide results from studies that tested the fourth hypothesis (C), cellular debris from the gut-lining shed via excrementis a major source of shed eDNA.