Dr Clare Adams1, Dr. Christopher Hepburn1, Dr. Hugh Cross1, Dr. Helen Taylor2, Professor Neil Gemmell1, Dr. Michael Bunce3, Dr. Gert-Jan Jeunen1, Dr. Michael Knapp1
1University Of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, 2Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, 3Environmental Protection Authority, Wellington Central, New Zealand
Environmental DNA (eDNA) has gained recognition as a species-identification method, and interest has grown for using it in population genetics. However, the effectiveness of eDNA below the species level remains to be tested for multiple species and environments. Here, we compare mitochondrial haplotypes of pāua (Haliotis sp.) taken from both water and tissue samples to test how well eDNA methods reflect traditional tissue sampling for these marine gastropods. Individual pāua tissue (n=76) was collected, along with water samples (n=9) adjacent to the reef off the coast of Warrington, Otago. Pāua mitochondrial haplotypes were identified and compared from tissue and, independently, from eDNA water samples. We demonstrate that eDNA is an effective tool for recovering common genetic diversity from pāua, although rare (< 5%) haplotypes are seldom recovered. These results show the potential of eDNA for identification below the species level and for studying the population genetic diversity of gastropods and other marine organisms. This work raises prospects that eDNA could become an effective, non-invasive tool for genetic monitoring.
Biography:
Clare Adams is broadly interested in using molecular tools to answer ecological and evolutionary questions. Her PhD focused on developing eDNA methods to obtain population genetic information for abalone and fur seals. As a recent graduate, she is looking for her next opportunity.