Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research in the development of environmental DNA metabarcoding standards for the display of data on the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) Database. Environmental DNA (eDNA) originates from cells (i.e., skin, mucus, feces, etc.) sloughed by organisms in the environment and can be collected in water, soil, air and organic samples. Environmental DNA is collected through nondestructive sampling approaches and can be used to survey for non-native species. Environmental DNA surveys can be used to identify eDNA from a single species or genera (aka targeted eDNA) or an assemblage of taxa, such as fish, reptiles, vertebrates, etc., known as metabarcoding. Metabarcoding sequencing allows for a comprehensive taxa-specific identification of species, including expected and previously undetected invasive species and simultaneous identification of community composition in water samples. The research focuses on collaborative development of metabarcoding eDNA standards using a broad community consensus process for data integration on the eDNA data on NAS