A simple, rapid method for detecting seven common invasive fish species in Europe from environmental DNA

Biological invasions are a global threat to biodiversity, and many arise from deliberate introductions. The American freshwater fish Micropterus salmoides and Ameiurus spp. (Ameiurus melas and Ameiurus nebulosus) were introduced to Europe for recreational fishing, Gambusia holbrooki and Gambusia aff...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aquatic conservation 2018-06, Vol.28 (3), p.619-629
Main Authors: Clusa, Laura, García‐Vázquez, E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
16S rDNA
Agarose
alien species
Analytical methods
Aquaria
Aquatic insects
Biodiversity
biological control
Biological invasions
Capillary electrophoresis
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
eDNA
Electrophoresis
Environmental DNA
Fish
Fishing
Freshwater
Freshwater fish
Freshwater fishes
Gels
Indigenous species
Inland water environment
Invasions
Invasive fish
Invasive species
Nucleotide sequence
PCR
Polymerase chain reaction
Population control
Primers
River water
Rivers
rRNA 16S
species‐specific primers
Sport fishing
Tissue
Water analysis
Water sampling
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Summary:Biological invasions are a global threat to biodiversity, and many arise from deliberate introductions. The American freshwater fish Micropterus salmoides and Ameiurus spp. (Ameiurus melas and Ameiurus nebulosus) were introduced to Europe for recreational fishing, Gambusia holbrooki and Gambusia affinis were introduced for mosquito population control, and Lepomis gibbosus was introduced as an ornamental species. The Asiatic Pseudorasbora parva was acquired inadvertently as an accompanying species in fish consignments. This article presents a novel approach for detecting these species directly from water samples based on a panel of five taxon‐specific primers within 16S rDNA. The primers were validated from tissue, in aquarium experiments, and from Ebro River water samples (Spain). With a simple polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol, followed by visualization in agarose gel or capillary electrophoresis, it was possible to detect these species from environmental DNA concentrations as low as 0.89–100 pg mL–1. This sensitive and economical tool can be used to control European invasions of these species and to preserve native biodiversity.
ISSN:1052-7613
1099-0755
DOI:10.1002/aqc.2890