Dr. Erin Grey is using a multiparameter sonde to collect water quality data including temperature, pH, conductivity, and nitrate concentration.
Photo by Wendy Smith
Dr. Erin Grey, Assistant Professor of Aquatic Genetics at the University of Maine, and formerly an aquatic ecologist with Governors State University (GSU), recently conducted investigations in wetlands at Indiana Dunes National Park. She and her assistant, Aaron West, a recent biology graduate at GSU, were working in the Calumet Region of NE Illinois and NW Indiana to develop an eDNA survey protocol that can be used in vernal pools and hemi-marshes throughout the region. A vernal pool is a low area that is covered with water a portion of the winter and spring, but may be totally dry in most of the summer and fall. Vernal pools are important habitats for invertebrates and amphibians who survive best in habitats with no fish. eDNA is environmental DNA, or DNA that is found in the environment. Some eDNA comes directly from tiny microorganisms like diatoms, and other eDNA is shed into the environment from larger organisms.
In the summer of 2020, Dr. Grey and Aaron worked on a pilot study to determine how best to sample eDNA from vernal pools. They collected water samples and filtered the eDNA from each sample. Once filtered, the eDNA was screened to determine if it matched the DNA of particular invasive species or endangered species. In their pilot study, the research team is also trying to determine the proper number of samples that must be taken to get a good picture of the overall biodiversity found in vernal pools. They hope that the protocol they develop will enable resource managers to survey more habitats and to determine what lives in those habitats much more quickly than they would be able to if they had to catch the actual organisms. The information from this project should help resource managers prioritize habitats for conservation!
