We trained volunteers from conservation organizations to collect eDNA from ponds with amphibian communities that had a history of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and ranavirus infections.
More Information:
We trained volunteers from conservation organizations to collect eDNA from ponds with amphibian communities that had a history of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and ranavirus infections. Volunteers were given sampling kits to filter pond water and preserve eDNA on filter paper, as were the principal investigators (PIs), who made independent collections within 48 h of volunteer collections. We found no evidence to suggest the observer who collected the water sample (volunteer or PI) influenced either the probability of capturing eDNA on a filter or the probability of detecting extracted eDNA in a quantitative PCR (qPCR) reaction. Seasonal detection rates were estimated for each pathogen, and statistical models estimated that both pathogens could be detected with 95% confidence in as few as 5 water samples taken in June, or July with either 4 or 3 qPCR reactions, respectively.
Project Status:
Past
Currently Seeking Community Scientists?
No
How To Learn More:
James Julian (jamjulian@pa.gov)