Invasive Snails are Target of UI, USGS Environmental DNA Study plus 1 more

[USGS Newsroom <oc_web@xxxxxxxx>]

Title: USGS Newsroom

Invasive Snails are Target of UI, USGS Environmental DNA Study plus 1 more

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Invasive Snails are Target of UI, USGS Environmental DNA Study

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:03 AM PDT

MOSCOW, Idaho – Researchers at the University of Idaho and the U.S. Geological Survey have developed a way to identify New Zealand mudsnail infestations in their earliest stages – using only the small bits of DNA the snails shed in the water.

When New Zealand mudsnails move into a stream, they can wreak havoc on their new habitat. The tiny, invasive mollusks – barely larger than a sesame seed – multiply rapidly, pushing out native species. Salmon that pass through and eat the snails receive less nutrition than from their usual diet, resulting in smaller fish.

The team’s work could help stream managers control mudsnail invasions before they cause significant damage to an ecosystem.

“For invasive species, we really want to catch them long, long before they get to the point of being obvious,” said Caren Goldberg, a research scientist in UI’s fish and wildlife department, who led the study.

The team used a recently developed method of testing for a species’ presence that analyzes environmental DNA, or eDNA, which is collected from skin and other cells an animal sheds into the environment. Their procedure compares DNA in the water to known mudsnail DNA sequences.

“eDNA monitoring for New Zealand mudsnails is a significant advance in aquatic invasive species management because eDNA is more sensitive, faster and often cheaper than traditional monitoring approaches,” said USGS scientist Adam Sepulveda, co-author of the study. “Another benefit is that citizen science groups can become easily involved because collecting water samples in the field requires simple equipment and minimal training.”

“We can just take a water sample, filter it to catch the DNA and test it to see what species are in the water,” Goldberg said.

Researchers in France proved in 2008 that eDNA could effectively show the presence of animals in wetland. In 2011, a UI-based team first demonstrated the same technique worked in moving water, even though much of the DNA is diluted or washed downstream.

The New Zealand mudsnails added another layer of challenge because their hard shell may keep them from leaving behind large amounts of DNA, unlike fish or amphibians, which frequently shed scales or skin.

The team developed and tested their technique in UI’s Laboratory for Ecological, Evolutionary and Conservation Genetics. They also tested it in southern Idaho’s Portneuf River, in areas the mudsnail is known to live.

“It’s a challenge to catch that fragment of DNA,” Goldberg said. “We show we can do it, and reliably, too.”

The researchers are now hoping to attract interest from stream and fish hatchery managers who could use the technique to track and prevent mudsnails, which are considered invasive species around the world and have been spreading across the West since the late 1980s.

The snails can be spread by watercraft or by tagging along with other species. Just one snail can start an infestation, because the species is parthenogenetic – the snails have the ability to reproduce asexually, giving birth to clones of themselves.

“We hope this test will help agencies to detect mudsnails early enough to protect systems from invasion,” Goldberg said. 

The study, “Environmental DNA as a new method for early detection of New Zealand mudsnails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum),” is available online in the journal Freshwater Science.

Crowd-Sourcing the Nation: USGS Seeking More Volunteers

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:00 AM PDT

The USGS is expanding its crowd-sourcing of geographic data and is seeking more volunteers to contribute structures information to 16 more states.

The mapping crowd-sourcing program, known as The National Map Corps (TNMCorps), encourages citizens to collect structures data by adding new features and/or correcting existing data within The National Map database. Structures being mapped in the project include schools, hospitals, post offices, police stations and other important public buildings.

The 16 recently added states needing help with structures are: Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming, bringing the total number of states available for updating to 35.  The final release of states by the end of the year will open up the entire country for volunteer structures enhancement.

Preliminary results of the effort have been very promising. As part of the project pilot, The National Map Corps had 143 volunteers who improved data for more than 6,400 structures in Colorado. The quality of the volunteer data collected met the USGS standards for position, attribution, and completeness.

The release of 19 states last April resulted in an increase of 154 new citizen geographers who have contributed their skills and local knowledge to The National Map.

"We are excited to open the next series states of our volunteer data project" said Elizabeth McCartney, the Volunteer Geographic Information Project Leader. "The response from the original set of states has been encouraging and we hope to have volunteer participation across the entire nation by the end of the year".

The tools on TNMCorps website explain how a volunteer can edit any area, regardless of their familiarity with the selected structures.

The citizen geographers/cartographers who participate in this program will make a significant addition to the USGS's ability to provide accurate information to the public. Data collected by volunteers become part of The National Map structures dataset which is available to users free of charge.

To show appreciation of our volunteer's efforts, The National Map Corps has instituted a recognition program that awards "virtual" badges" to volunteers. The badges consists of a series of antique surveying instruments ranging from a surveyor's chain (25 – 50 points) to the yet to be achieved theodolite (2000+ points). Additionally, volunteers are publically acclaimed.

In a recent development, the 4-H National Headquarters has announced that this year's 4-H National Youth Science Day planned for October 9, 2013 will feature geographic technology projects that are part of The National Map Corps data collection efforts.

Becoming a volunteer for TNMCorps is easy; go to The National Map Corps website to learn more and to sign up as a volunteer. If you have access to the Internet and are willing to dedicate some time to editing map data, we hope you will consider participating!

Newly added states in purple: Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming.

Currently participating states in green: Arkansas, Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Washington, West Virginia - bringing the total number of states available for updating to 35.  (High resolution image)