Dr Jenna Crowe-Riddell1,2, Amelia Rose Pointon2, Mathew Campbell3, Katrina West4, Arne Rasmussen5, Shaun P. Collin1, Morten Allentoft3, Dr Vinay Udyawer6, Dr Kate L. Sanders2, Nicole E. White3
1La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia, 2University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Australia, 3Trace and Environmental DNA Laboratory, Curtin University, , Australia, 4CSIRO Australian National Fish Collection, National Research Collections Australia, Hobart, Australia, 5The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture, Design and Conservation, Copenhagen, Denmark, 6The Australian Institute of Marine Sciences, Darwin, Australia
Western Australia is a global hotspot for sea snake diversity with a total of 20 species including six endemics. However, two critically-endangered sea snakes were thought to have gone extinct during rapid population crashes at offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) such as Ashmore Reef. Incredibly, these vulnerable species have been recently rediscovered in unprotected coastal and deeper waters in Western Australia. eDNA presents a further opportunity to non-invasively monitor and identify populations of vulnerable species across large geographical distances. However, there are many challenges to overcome before eDNA can become a reliable tool for monitoring marine reptiles. Two major issues are: 1) the assumed lower cell shedding rate of sea snake (cf. fish), which is thought to reduce the total eDNA that can be detected from non-invasive sampling, and 2) how to adequately sample the fragmented distribution of sea snakes within Australia’s vast network of MPAs. To improve eDNA detection of sea snakes, we are developing a metabarcoding eDNA protocol from seawater collected from enclosed habitats within Exmouth Gulf, with the view of expanding to open water habitats along the Western Australian coastline. To understand cell-shedding rate in sea snakes, we have collected seawater from sea snakes in captivity to quantify the concentration of eDNA using quantitative PCR. By using complementary eDNA methods, we aim to map the distribution of Australian sea snakes across MPAs and improve detection rates for marine reptiles that have large geographic ranges.
Biography:
Jenna completed her PhD in the evolution of senses in sea snakes at the University of Adelaide in 2019. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at La Trobe University. She hopes to use eDNA as a tool for monitoring and detecting vulnerable populations of sea snakes, which can provide valuable information for the conservation of critically-endangered species.