Urbana Campus Research Calendar (OVCRI)

Evaluating Environmental DNA (eDNA) Metabarcoding in Applied Freshwater Resource Management

Since its inception, eDNA metabarcoding has enabled rapid and sensitive biodiversity assessments, and its use in aquatic conservation has proliferated. Environmental DNA metabarcoding has several appealing advantages but is also complicated, requiring careful interpretation of results. In this dissertation, I evaluate eDNA metabarcoding for applied freshwater resource management in three distinct contexts. I assess the benefits of using eDNA metabarcoding to monitor ichthyofauna in remote lakes, perform passive monitoring for invasive fish, and track the spread of invasive mollusks. I find that eDNA metabarcoding has several advantages, mainly the ability to rapidly sample with little field equipment and displaying little taxonomic and functional bias. However, there are several drawbacks to eDNA that must be considered, including potential for false positives and difficulty in optimizing methodology. Through this research I offer recommendations to managers of the capabilities of eDNA metabarcoding and how it can be best deployed for freshwater resource management.