Miss Nicola Thomson2, Dr Scott Morrissey1, Prof Michael Kingsford2
1TropWATER, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia, 2College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
Biography:
Scott is a Postdoc at TropWATER, James Cook University in Cairns, North Queensland. His research explores the use of eDNA as an ecological survey tool to improve the detection, monitoring and understanding of deadly box jellyfish.
Abstract:
Chironex fleckeri is considered the most dangerous species of box jellyfish, posing considerable threats to both human health and commercial enterprise. Environmental DNA (eDNA) provides a powerful tool for detecting this elusive jellyfish, however, conventional workflows can require days between sample collection and detection, limiting their application where rapid information is required for management.
We developed and evaluated a rapid eDNA workflow designed to provide same-day detection of C. fleckeri. The workflow combines rapid eDNA extraction, portable PCR using species-specific dual-labelled primers, and lateral-flow visualisation. Performance was evaluated against an established laboratory-based qPCR workflow, before the complete rapid workflow was tested under field conditions. The rapid workflow showed broad agreement in site-level detections with the established workflow, although technical-replicate detection probability was lower. Importantly, results were obtained within approximately 2.5 hours, compared with approximately three days using the established workflow, and the complete workflow was successfully conducted under field conditions. These results demonstrate that eDNA detection of hazardous jellyfish can be moved beyond conventional laboratory-based workflows towards rapid, field-based applications, which has the potential to support monitoring and management decisions.