Ms Joyshri Sarker1, Dr Peter Unmack1, Dr Chris Brauer2, Dr Luciano Beheregaray2, Ms Chris Lamin3, Mr Peter Rose4, Dr Dianne Gleeson1, Dr Elise Furlan1
1University Of Canberra, Bruce, Australia, 2Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia, 3Middle Creek Farm, Stratford, Australia, 4North Central Catchment Management Authority, Huntly, Australia
Biography:
Joyshri Sarker has been interested and passionate in learning and applying knowledge in several aspects of ecology, biodiversity monitoring and conservation and much more. Currently she is working on conservation genetics and application of eDNA to improve conservation of Australian freshwater fish for her PhD project at the University of Canberra, Australia. Previously, she worked on health management of fish and received “National Science and Technology Fellowship” in Bangladesh for her master’s research. Later, she completed “Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Aquaculture, Environment and Society Plus (ACES+)” with prestigious “Erasmus Mundus” scholarship by European Union where she worked on risk associated with Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) and antimicrobial resistance of bacteria isolated from RAS project and achieved “Distinction” in thesis. Her research was presented in different scientific conferences including “International Conference on Diseases of Fish and Shellfish, Aberdeen, UK in 2023” and “Symposium on Antimicrobial Resistance in Animals and the Environment, Centre INRAE Val-de-Loire, Tours, France in 2023”. She has also done some international short course during her master’s research including “Responsible Aquaculture Practice” in Wageningen University and Research in Netherlands. Moreover, she has worked on several projects funded by University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh through the University in Bangladesh and published several research articles in different national and international journals including 5 articles in Q1 and Q2 journals. She is committed to and looking forward to contributing through her research in future.
Abstract:
Population genetic data provides insight into genetic diversity and population structure and can influence conservation management. However, conventional tissue sampling can be invasive, logistically challenging, and can be unsuitable for threatened species. Environmental DNA (eDNA) offers a promising non-invasive alternative for population genetic sampling, but its capacity to estimate haplotype and allele frequencies compared to tissue-based method remains experimental. This study will assess the use of eDNA (water) samples to recover mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear data to assess genetic diversity, population structure, and evolutionary history of the threatened Southern Pygmy Perch (Nannoperca australis). Tissue samples (fin clips) and eDNA (water) samples were collected from 10 wild and 7 translocated populations. Tissue-derived mtDNA Cytochrome b sequences and genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data are being used to characterize genetic variation. These data will be used to design mtDNA primers and identifying candidate SNPs suitable for amplification from degraded eDNA samples. The performance of these markers will be assessed by comparing genetic patterns inferred from eDNA with those obtained from conventional tissue sampling, including mtDNA haplotype diversity and frequencies, as well as nuclear genetic variation among populations. The outcomes will enhance conservation decisions for Southern Pygmy Perch and other species by establishing the feasibility of a non-invasive genetic monitoring approach.