I am an aquatic ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center in Bozeman, MT.
Education
Ph.D. Ecology. 2010. University of Montana, Missoula, MT
M.S. Science Education. 2004. Teton Science School, Kelly, WY
B.A. Environmental Biology and English. 2002. Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Research Interests
My specific research focuses on understanding the ecosystem and community-level consequences of aquatic invasive species and testing new tools for the early detection of aquatic invasive species. My research program consists of a combination of field and laboratory studies.
Science and Products
Environmental DNA (eDNA): Combining Technology and Biology to Detect Aquatic Invasive Species and Pathogens
Using DNA, USGS researchers are able to detect the presence of invasive species in aquatic ecosystems. The DNA they use is literally floating around in the environment and is called environmental DNA (eDNA) and is a powerful tool for the early detection of invasive species and pathogens, which can cause serious ecological and economic damage. USGS researchers are also combining the use of eDNA...
Using Robots in the River: Biosurveillance at USGS streamgages
For more than a decade, researchers around the world have shown that sampling a water body and analyzing for DNA (a method known as eDNA) is an effective method to detect an organism in the water. The challenge is that finding organisms that are not very abundant requires a lot of samples to locate this needle in a haystack. Enter the "lab in a can", the water quality sampling and processing robot...
High-Resolution, Interagency Biosurveillance of Threatened Surface Waters in the United States
Advances in information technology now provide large volume, high-frequency data collection which may improve real-time biosurveillance and forecasting. But, big data streams present challenges for data management and timely analysis. As a first step in creating a data science pipeline for translating large datasets into meaningful interpretations, we created a cloud-hosted PostgreSQL database tha
Predicting Climate-Induced Expansions of Invasive Fish in the Pacific Northwest: Implications for Climate Adaptation of Native Salmon and Trout
The headwaters of the Columbia River Basin in the Northern Rocky Mountains region is widely recognized as a stronghold for native fish, containing some of the last remaining connected cold-water habitats for species such as the threatened bull trout and native westslope cutthroat trout. However, as temperatures rise, non-native invasive fish species could be poised to prosper in the region as cond
Western Waters Invasive Species and Disease Research Program
Researchers at the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center's Western Waters Invasive Species and Disease Research Program work extensively with federal, state, tribal, regional, and local partners to deliver science to improve early detection and prevention of invasive species and disease; understand complex interactions that promote invasive species and disease, and their impacts (and associated...
Developing a mechanistic understanding between recent climate patterns and Aquatic Vital Signs in the Greater Yellowstone Network
The National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring program was established to provide park managers with a broad understanding of the status of park resources using the best available science. This program acknowledges that NPS managers are confronted with complex challenges associated with the management of dynamic landscapes responding to multiple, interacting drivers of change. To provide tools...
American bullfrog suppression in the Yellowstone River floodplain
The American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) has recently invaded backwater and side-channel habitats of the Yellowstone River, near Billings, Montana. In other regions, bullfrog invasions have been linked to numerous amphibian declines (e.g., Adams and Pearl 2007). Immediate management actions may be able to suppress or eradicate localized populations of bullfrogs because they are present at low...
Conservation of native salmonids in South-Central Alaska
The proliferation of introduced northern pike in Southcentral Alaska is an urgent fishery management concern because pike are voracious predators that prey heavily on juvenile salmonids. Eradication of pike is not possible in connected freshwater networks, so managers must develop control methods that reduce pike populations to less destructive numbers. We are using field and bioenergetics...
An investigation of aquatic invasive species in pristine sites in the Greater Yellowstone Area
Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are aquatic organisms that move into ecosystems beyond their natural, historic range and cause severe and irreversible damage to the habitats they invade. Most AIS arrive as a direct result of human activity, such as boating and angling. The threat of AIS introduction is especially high in the Greater Yellowstone Area, as humans from all over the world come to see...
Juvenile Smallmouth Bass Sampling from the Yellowstone River, Montana 2016-2019
Field data of age-0 smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) estimated age, lengths and weights, distribution from field sampling, and results from environmental DNA surveys from the Yellowstone River in Montana. Data were used in conjunction with existing stream temperature data from USGS gages to evaluate if temperature is related to age-0 size at the onset of winter.
Environmental DNA data, fish abundance data, and stream habitat data from northwest Montana and northeast Washington and southern British Columbia, Canada
Field estimates of the abundance of two trout species (bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout) in Montana and rainbow trout in Washington and British Columbia were collected in concert with environmental DNA samples (eDNA) to evaluate if eDNA copy numbers correlated with abundance of trout. In addition, stream habitat data including channel units (pools, riffles), substrate, large woody debris,
T. bryosalmonae detection in fish and water, DNA sequence, and simple sequence repeat data collected in the Inter-Mountain West from 2011 to 2019
This data release contains molecular diagnostic results and molecular detection of the myxozoan parasite Tetracapsuloides byrosalmonae in fish tissue and environmental DNA samples collected from the inter-mountain West, USA.
Environmental DNA surveillance data for USGS streamgage sampling in the Columbia River Basin, 2018
Environmental DNA quantitative PCR results for water samples collected in 2018 at USGS streamgages downstream of Columbia River Basin reservoirs that are considered to have moderate to high suitability for invasive dreissenid mussels. Water samples were tested for DNA of dreissenid mussels, kokanee salmon, and yellow perch. This is version 1.1 of this data release. The Kokanee_Perch_eDNA data an
Environmental DNA robotic and manual sampling data, Yellowstone and Snake Rivers, 2017-2019
Environmental DNA detection results from samples collected using autonomous water sampling robots and manual approaches. Samples were collected in the Upper Yellowstone River (Montana) and Upper Snake River (Idaho/Wyoming) in 2018 and 2019. Samples were tested for the DNA of the following species: the waterborne protozoa Naegleria spp., the fish pathogen Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae, Scomber japo
PCR results from dreissenid mussel round robin assay analyses, 2018-2019
Real-time PCR results of a round robin evaluation of 5 assays that target dreissenid mussel DNA. Water samples collected from waters with and without dreissenid mussels were analyzed using these five assays in four USGS laboratories. Samples from waters without dreissenid mussels were spiked with known amounts of dreissend DNA.
Microsatellite data for American bullfrogs in the Yellowstone River Montana, 2013-2017
We used 7 microsatellites to characterize the invasion genetics of 528 American bullfrogs sampled from the Yellowstone River floodplain (Montana). American bullfrog samples were collected from a 140 km section of the Yellowstone River near Billings, MT in 2013 - 2017.
Environmental DNA results for large and small volume water samples in mesocosm experiments at Creston Fish Hatchery and field surveys in the Flathead River Basin, MT in 2016
Quantitative PCR data from mesocosm experiments and field evaluations comparing coarse filter-large water volume environmental DNA samples vs. fine filter-small water volume environmental DNA samples for detection and quantification of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) DNA. Mesocosm experiments took place at the US Fish & Wildlife Service's Creston Fish Ha
Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout and Brown Trout capture-recapture and diet data from Duck Creek, MT in summer and fall (2013-2016)
We collected lengths and weights and diets of Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) above (Yellowstone cutthroat trout allopatry) and below (Yellowstone cutthroat trout sympatry with brown trout) a natural barrier in Duck Creek, Montana.
Environmental DNA detection data of Northern pike (Esox lucius) using a portable, field-based platform and a lab-based platform
We used a portable, field-based approach (hereafter referred to as Biomeme approach) and a standard lab-based approach (hereafter referred to as lab approach) to analyze field water samples for northern pike ((Esox lucius) DNA. The Biomeme approach included a field-capable DNA extraction, a shelf-stable assay, and a portable real-time PCR thermocycler. The lab approach included lab-based DNA extra
Conventional and quantitative PCR assays for detecting Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae in fish tissue and environmental DNA water samples
We developed and validated conventional and quantitative real-time PCR assays for the detection of DNA from the myxozoan parasite Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae, the causative agent of proliferative kidney disease in fish. Assays were tested on fish tissue and on field-collected water samples to assess diagnostic and environmental DNA capabilities. The specificity, sensitivity, and broad applicabil
Filter Total Items: 56
Strategic considerations for invasive species managers in the utilization of environmental DNA (eDNA): Steps for incorporating this powerful surveillance tool
Invasive species surveillance programs can utilize environmental DNA sampling and analysis to provide information on the presence of invasive species. Wider utilization of eDNA techniques for invasive species surveillance may be warranted. This paper covers topics directed towards invasive species managers and eDNA practitioners working at the intersection of eDNA techniques and invasive species s
Strategic considerations for invasive species managers in the utilization ofenvironmental DNA (eDNA): Steps for incorporating this powerful surveillance tool
Invasive species surveillance programs can utilize environmental DNA sampling and analysis to provide information on the presence of invasive species. Wider utilization of eDNA techniques for invasive species surveillance may be warranted. This paper covers topics directed towards invasive species managers and eDNA practitioners working at the intersection of eDNA techniques and invasive species s
Vulnerability of Pacific salmon to invasion of northern pike (Esox lucius) in Southcentral Alaska
The relentless role of invasive species in the extinction of native biota requires predictions of ecosystem vulnerability to inform proactive management strategies. The worldwide invasion and range expansion of predatory northern pike (Esox lucius) has been linked to the decline of native fishes and tools are needed to predict the vulnerability of habitats to invasion over broad geographic scales.
Effects of supplemental feeding on the fecal bacterial communities of Rocky Mountain elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Supplemental feeding of wildlife is a common practice often undertaken for recreational or management purposes, but it may have unintended consequences for animal health. Understanding cryptic effects of diet supplementation on the gut microbiomes of wild mammals is important to inform conservation and management strategies. Multiple laboratory studies have demonstrated the importance of the gut m
Exploration of the 2016 Yellowstone River fish kill and proliferative kidney disease in wild fish populations
Proliferative kidney disease (PKD) is an emerging disease that recently resulted in a large mortality event of salmonids in the Yellowstone River (Montana, USA). Total PKD fish mortalities in the Yellowstone River were estimated in the tens of thousands, which resulted in a multi‐week river closure and an estimated economic loss of US$500,000. This event shocked scientists, managers, and the publi
Integrating environmental DNA results with diverse data sets to improve biosurveillance of river health
Autonomous, robotic environmental (e)DNA samplers now make it possible for biological observations to match the scale and quality of abiotic measurements collected by automated sensor networks. Merging these automated data streams may allow for improved insight into biotic responses to environmental change and stressors. Here, we merged eDNA data collected by robotic samplers installed at three U.
The elephant in the lab (and field): Contamination in aquatic environmental DNA studies
The rapid evolution of environmental (e)DNA methods has resulted in knowledge gaps in smaller, yet critical details like proper use of negative controls to detect contamination. Detecting contamination is vital for confident use of eDNA results in decision-making. We conducted two literature reviews to summarize (a) the types of quality assurance measures taken to detect contamination of eDNA samp
It’s complicated…environmental DNA as a predictor of trout and char abundance in streams
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 relationships bet
Robotic environmental DNA bio-surveillance of freshwater health
Autonomous water sampling technologies may help to overcome the human resource challenges of monitoring biological threats to rivers over long time periods and large geographic areas. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute has pioneered a robotic Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) that overcomes some of the constraints associated with traditional sampling since it can automate water sample
msocc: Fit and analyse computationally efficient multi‐scale occupancy models in R
Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling is a promising tool for the detection of rare and cryptic taxa, such as aquatic pathogens, parasites and invasive species. Environmental DNA sampling workflows commonly rely on multi‐stage hierarchical sampling designs that induce complicated dependencies within the data. This complex dependence structure can be intuitively modelled with Bayesian multi‐scale occup
Are environmental DNA methods ready for aquatic invasive species management?
Multiple studies have demonstrated environmental (e)DNA detections of rare, invasive species. However, invasive species managers struggle with using eDNA results because detections might not indicate species presence. We evaluated if eDNA methods have matured to a point where they can be widely applied to aquatic invasive species management. We found that eDNA methods meet legal standards for bein
Climate-induced expansions of invasive species in the Pacific Northwest, North America: A synthesis of observations and projections
Climate change may facilitate the expansion of non-native invasive species (NIS) in aquatic and terrestrial systems. However, empirical evidence remains scarce and poorly synthesized at scales necessary for effective management. We conducted a literature synthesis to assess the state of research on the observed and predicted effects of climate change on a suite of 398 aquatic and terrestrial NIS n
Science and Products
- Science
Environmental DNA (eDNA): Combining Technology and Biology to Detect Aquatic Invasive Species and Pathogens
Using DNA, USGS researchers are able to detect the presence of invasive species in aquatic ecosystems. The DNA they use is literally floating around in the environment and is called environmental DNA (eDNA) and is a powerful tool for the early detection of invasive species and pathogens, which can cause serious ecological and economic damage. USGS researchers are also combining the use of eDNA...Using Robots in the River: Biosurveillance at USGS streamgages
For more than a decade, researchers around the world have shown that sampling a water body and analyzing for DNA (a method known as eDNA) is an effective method to detect an organism in the water. The challenge is that finding organisms that are not very abundant requires a lot of samples to locate this needle in a haystack. Enter the "lab in a can", the water quality sampling and processing robot...High-Resolution, Interagency Biosurveillance of Threatened Surface Waters in the United States
Advances in information technology now provide large volume, high-frequency data collection which may improve real-time biosurveillance and forecasting. But, big data streams present challenges for data management and timely analysis. As a first step in creating a data science pipeline for translating large datasets into meaningful interpretations, we created a cloud-hosted PostgreSQL database thaPredicting Climate-Induced Expansions of Invasive Fish in the Pacific Northwest: Implications for Climate Adaptation of Native Salmon and Trout
The headwaters of the Columbia River Basin in the Northern Rocky Mountains region is widely recognized as a stronghold for native fish, containing some of the last remaining connected cold-water habitats for species such as the threatened bull trout and native westslope cutthroat trout. However, as temperatures rise, non-native invasive fish species could be poised to prosper in the region as condWestern Waters Invasive Species and Disease Research Program
Researchers at the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center's Western Waters Invasive Species and Disease Research Program work extensively with federal, state, tribal, regional, and local partners to deliver science to improve early detection and prevention of invasive species and disease; understand complex interactions that promote invasive species and disease, and their impacts (and associated...Developing a mechanistic understanding between recent climate patterns and Aquatic Vital Signs in the Greater Yellowstone Network
The National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring program was established to provide park managers with a broad understanding of the status of park resources using the best available science. This program acknowledges that NPS managers are confronted with complex challenges associated with the management of dynamic landscapes responding to multiple, interacting drivers of change. To provide tools...American bullfrog suppression in the Yellowstone River floodplain
The American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) has recently invaded backwater and side-channel habitats of the Yellowstone River, near Billings, Montana. In other regions, bullfrog invasions have been linked to numerous amphibian declines (e.g., Adams and Pearl 2007). Immediate management actions may be able to suppress or eradicate localized populations of bullfrogs because they are present at low...Conservation of native salmonids in South-Central Alaska
The proliferation of introduced northern pike in Southcentral Alaska is an urgent fishery management concern because pike are voracious predators that prey heavily on juvenile salmonids. Eradication of pike is not possible in connected freshwater networks, so managers must develop control methods that reduce pike populations to less destructive numbers. We are using field and bioenergetics...An investigation of aquatic invasive species in pristine sites in the Greater Yellowstone Area
Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are aquatic organisms that move into ecosystems beyond their natural, historic range and cause severe and irreversible damage to the habitats they invade. Most AIS arrive as a direct result of human activity, such as boating and angling. The threat of AIS introduction is especially high in the Greater Yellowstone Area, as humans from all over the world come to see... - Data
Juvenile Smallmouth Bass Sampling from the Yellowstone River, Montana 2016-2019
Field data of age-0 smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) estimated age, lengths and weights, distribution from field sampling, and results from environmental DNA surveys from the Yellowstone River in Montana. Data were used in conjunction with existing stream temperature data from USGS gages to evaluate if temperature is related to age-0 size at the onset of winter.Environmental DNA data, fish abundance data, and stream habitat data from northwest Montana and northeast Washington and southern British Columbia, Canada
Field estimates of the abundance of two trout species (bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout) in Montana and rainbow trout in Washington and British Columbia were collected in concert with environmental DNA samples (eDNA) to evaluate if eDNA copy numbers correlated with abundance of trout. In addition, stream habitat data including channel units (pools, riffles), substrate, large woody debris,T. bryosalmonae detection in fish and water, DNA sequence, and simple sequence repeat data collected in the Inter-Mountain West from 2011 to 2019
This data release contains molecular diagnostic results and molecular detection of the myxozoan parasite Tetracapsuloides byrosalmonae in fish tissue and environmental DNA samples collected from the inter-mountain West, USA.Environmental DNA surveillance data for USGS streamgage sampling in the Columbia River Basin, 2018
Environmental DNA quantitative PCR results for water samples collected in 2018 at USGS streamgages downstream of Columbia River Basin reservoirs that are considered to have moderate to high suitability for invasive dreissenid mussels. Water samples were tested for DNA of dreissenid mussels, kokanee salmon, and yellow perch. This is version 1.1 of this data release. The Kokanee_Perch_eDNA data anEnvironmental DNA robotic and manual sampling data, Yellowstone and Snake Rivers, 2017-2019
Environmental DNA detection results from samples collected using autonomous water sampling robots and manual approaches. Samples were collected in the Upper Yellowstone River (Montana) and Upper Snake River (Idaho/Wyoming) in 2018 and 2019. Samples were tested for the DNA of the following species: the waterborne protozoa Naegleria spp., the fish pathogen Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae, Scomber japoPCR results from dreissenid mussel round robin assay analyses, 2018-2019
Real-time PCR results of a round robin evaluation of 5 assays that target dreissenid mussel DNA. Water samples collected from waters with and without dreissenid mussels were analyzed using these five assays in four USGS laboratories. Samples from waters without dreissenid mussels were spiked with known amounts of dreissend DNA.Microsatellite data for American bullfrogs in the Yellowstone River Montana, 2013-2017
We used 7 microsatellites to characterize the invasion genetics of 528 American bullfrogs sampled from the Yellowstone River floodplain (Montana). American bullfrog samples were collected from a 140 km section of the Yellowstone River near Billings, MT in 2013 - 2017.Environmental DNA results for large and small volume water samples in mesocosm experiments at Creston Fish Hatchery and field surveys in the Flathead River Basin, MT in 2016
Quantitative PCR data from mesocosm experiments and field evaluations comparing coarse filter-large water volume environmental DNA samples vs. fine filter-small water volume environmental DNA samples for detection and quantification of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) DNA. Mesocosm experiments took place at the US Fish & Wildlife Service's Creston Fish HaYellowstone Cutthroat Trout and Brown Trout capture-recapture and diet data from Duck Creek, MT in summer and fall (2013-2016)
We collected lengths and weights and diets of Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) above (Yellowstone cutthroat trout allopatry) and below (Yellowstone cutthroat trout sympatry with brown trout) a natural barrier in Duck Creek, Montana.Environmental DNA detection data of Northern pike (Esox lucius) using a portable, field-based platform and a lab-based platform
We used a portable, field-based approach (hereafter referred to as Biomeme approach) and a standard lab-based approach (hereafter referred to as lab approach) to analyze field water samples for northern pike ((Esox lucius) DNA. The Biomeme approach included a field-capable DNA extraction, a shelf-stable assay, and a portable real-time PCR thermocycler. The lab approach included lab-based DNA extraConventional and quantitative PCR assays for detecting Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae in fish tissue and environmental DNA water samples
We developed and validated conventional and quantitative real-time PCR assays for the detection of DNA from the myxozoan parasite Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae, the causative agent of proliferative kidney disease in fish. Assays were tested on fish tissue and on field-collected water samples to assess diagnostic and environmental DNA capabilities. The specificity, sensitivity, and broad applicabil - Publications
Filter Total Items: 56
Strategic considerations for invasive species managers in the utilization of environmental DNA (eDNA): Steps for incorporating this powerful surveillance tool
Invasive species surveillance programs can utilize environmental DNA sampling and analysis to provide information on the presence of invasive species. Wider utilization of eDNA techniques for invasive species surveillance may be warranted. This paper covers topics directed towards invasive species managers and eDNA practitioners working at the intersection of eDNA techniques and invasive species sStrategic considerations for invasive species managers in the utilization ofenvironmental DNA (eDNA): Steps for incorporating this powerful surveillance tool
Invasive species surveillance programs can utilize environmental DNA sampling and analysis to provide information on the presence of invasive species. Wider utilization of eDNA techniques for invasive species surveillance may be warranted. This paper covers topics directed towards invasive species managers and eDNA practitioners working at the intersection of eDNA techniques and invasive species sVulnerability of Pacific salmon to invasion of northern pike (Esox lucius) in Southcentral Alaska
The relentless role of invasive species in the extinction of native biota requires predictions of ecosystem vulnerability to inform proactive management strategies. The worldwide invasion and range expansion of predatory northern pike (Esox lucius) has been linked to the decline of native fishes and tools are needed to predict the vulnerability of habitats to invasion over broad geographic scales.Effects of supplemental feeding on the fecal bacterial communities of Rocky Mountain elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Supplemental feeding of wildlife is a common practice often undertaken for recreational or management purposes, but it may have unintended consequences for animal health. Understanding cryptic effects of diet supplementation on the gut microbiomes of wild mammals is important to inform conservation and management strategies. Multiple laboratory studies have demonstrated the importance of the gut mExploration of the 2016 Yellowstone River fish kill and proliferative kidney disease in wild fish populations
Proliferative kidney disease (PKD) is an emerging disease that recently resulted in a large mortality event of salmonids in the Yellowstone River (Montana, USA). Total PKD fish mortalities in the Yellowstone River were estimated in the tens of thousands, which resulted in a multi‐week river closure and an estimated economic loss of US$500,000. This event shocked scientists, managers, and the publiIntegrating environmental DNA results with diverse data sets to improve biosurveillance of river health
Autonomous, robotic environmental (e)DNA samplers now make it possible for biological observations to match the scale and quality of abiotic measurements collected by automated sensor networks. Merging these automated data streams may allow for improved insight into biotic responses to environmental change and stressors. Here, we merged eDNA data collected by robotic samplers installed at three U.The elephant in the lab (and field): Contamination in aquatic environmental DNA studies
The rapid evolution of environmental (e)DNA methods has resulted in knowledge gaps in smaller, yet critical details like proper use of negative controls to detect contamination. Detecting contamination is vital for confident use of eDNA results in decision-making. We conducted two literature reviews to summarize (a) the types of quality assurance measures taken to detect contamination of eDNA sampIt’s complicated…environmental DNA as a predictor of trout and char abundance in streams
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 relationships betRobotic environmental DNA bio-surveillance of freshwater health
Autonomous water sampling technologies may help to overcome the human resource challenges of monitoring biological threats to rivers over long time periods and large geographic areas. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute has pioneered a robotic Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) that overcomes some of the constraints associated with traditional sampling since it can automate water samplemsocc: Fit and analyse computationally efficient multi‐scale occupancy models in R
Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling is a promising tool for the detection of rare and cryptic taxa, such as aquatic pathogens, parasites and invasive species. Environmental DNA sampling workflows commonly rely on multi‐stage hierarchical sampling designs that induce complicated dependencies within the data. This complex dependence structure can be intuitively modelled with Bayesian multi‐scale occupAre environmental DNA methods ready for aquatic invasive species management?
Multiple studies have demonstrated environmental (e)DNA detections of rare, invasive species. However, invasive species managers struggle with using eDNA results because detections might not indicate species presence. We evaluated if eDNA methods have matured to a point where they can be widely applied to aquatic invasive species management. We found that eDNA methods meet legal standards for beinClimate-induced expansions of invasive species in the Pacific Northwest, North America: A synthesis of observations and projections
Climate change may facilitate the expansion of non-native invasive species (NIS) in aquatic and terrestrial systems. However, empirical evidence remains scarce and poorly synthesized at scales necessary for effective management. We conducted a literature synthesis to assess the state of research on the observed and predicted effects of climate change on a suite of 398 aquatic and terrestrial NIS n - News