Meeting Abstract
Current conservation methodology relies on the detecting of endangered species, thus it is imperative to identify efficient and effective ways to monitor such populations. Environmental DNA (eDNA) provides scientists with potentially revolutionary techniques for observing target populations – especially when time and resources are limited. However, despite an emerging body of presence/absence eDNA literature, eDNA remains underdeveloped as a quantitative measure for endangered species populations. To remedy this issue, we used eDNA to estimate population biomass for the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) as a model for endangered freshwater turtle species. We seeded isolated semi-natural ponds with 0, 11, 20, and 38 adult turtles from 1 April 2015 and regularly obtained water samples from the ponds through 30 June 2015. We noted a pattern of increased general eDNA with time as turtles were present in the habitat (p-value < 0.001; F-value = 6.21), but detected no significant relationship between turtle biomass and quantity of general eDNA in the water samples. We discuss potential confounders of these relationships and their implications for using eDNA to monitor aquatic turtles. Only through further development can eDNA be used effectively for the conservation of wild aquatic reptile populations.
