Tracking the iconic Giant Triton snail on the Great Barrier Reef

Miss Merle Schlawinsky³, Prof Jan Strugnell¹, Dr. Cecilia Villacorth-Rath¹, Prof Aaron MacNeil⁴, Dr. Cherie Motti²

¹James Cook University, Douglas , Australia, ²Australian Institute of Marine Science, Cape Cleveland, Australia, ³AIMS@JCU, Douglas , Australia, ⁴Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada

The giant triton snail, Charonia tritonis, is a primary predator of adult crown-of-thorns starfish (CoTS; Acanthaster planci) and is considered endangered on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). As their numbers have declined due to overfishing, there has been an increase in the frequency and severity of CoTS outbreaks, with CoTS now representing a major threat to the coral reef ecosystem. Environmental DNA (eDNA) methods have been applied to detect a variety of threatened species, and have demonstrated success where traditional, invasive sampling methods are otherwise ineffective. Given the giant tritons snail’s cryptic and nocturnal nature, conventional surveys are economically impractical, making the Giant triton an ideal candidate to study using eDNA. This study aims to (1) test the ability of eDNA to detect giant triton snails in a controlled environment (the National Sea Simulator at the Australian Institute of Marine Science), (2) develop a sampling protocol for the application of this method in the field, and (3) demonstrate the ability of eDNA to detect giant triton snails on the GBR. The outcome of this project will help inform the assessment and conservation of the species.

Biography:

Merle was born and raised in Bremen (Germany) and developed an interest in the ocean from a young age. She has a bachelor’s degree in Biology, followed by a master’s degree in Marine Environmental Science, majoring in Biology and Ecology. An exchange semester and the fieldwork for her master’s thesis brought her to James Cook University and later to AIMS, where she investigated chemical growth in Triton larvae and later assessed microplastic contamination in a range of GBR organisms. After graduating, Merle moved to Halifax (Canada) to work as Research Associate at Dalhousie University. Back at JCU and AIMS, Merle is perusing her Ph.D. with the aim of further understanding the biology of the endangered Giant Triton Snail, Charonia tritonis, and assessing its potential as a Crown-of-Thorn Starfish biocontrol agent.