Dr Masayuki K. Sakata1, Ms Nanako Yano2, Dr Akio Imamura3, Dr Hiroki Yamanaka4, Dr Toshifumi Minamoto2
1Hokkaido University, 2Kobe University, 3Hokkaido University of Education, 4Ryukoku University
Biography:
Dr. Masayuki K. Sakata is an assistant professor at Hokkaido University, Japan. He got his Ph.D. in science in 2021 from Kobe University, Japan, for the research on application of eDNA analysis in aqueous and sedimentary eDNA. He worked on eDNA throughout his undergraduate and post-doctoral periods. He has been working at Hokkaido University since 2022 and currently focuses on biodiversity science and conservation ecology using eDNA analysis methods. He has published many papers on basic and applied research on eDNA analysis.
Abstract:
The decline in biodiversity is an enormous problem, partly due to the invasion of alien species and hybridization with them. It is important to quickly identify where alien species are invading. Also, if the hybridization is known, it can be more quickly ascertained and prioritized for eradication steps. As a cost-effective method for estimating the distribution of alien species, environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has been used to estimate the distribution of alien species over a wide area and with high sensitivity. However, usual eDNA analysis cannot be used to detect hybridization. Therefore, the aim of this study was to detect hybridization by eDNA analysis. We (1) verified whether PCR could be performed on a cell-by-cell basis using digital PCR and tissue-derived samples, (2) verified whether environmental cell (eCell) could be recovered from environmental water sample, and (3) detected hybridization by eCell through tank experiments. The results showed that cell-by-cell PCR is possible using digital PCR in experiments with tissue-derived samples and environmental water samples. Finally, dPCR analysis of samples from tanks where only hybrid individuals were kept and samples from tanks where two parental species that could hybridize were kept at the same time, successfully distinguish between sympatric inhabitants of the parental species and hybrid individuals. Thus, we demonstrated that hybridization can be detected by eDNA analysis.