Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34852759›Full record

ArticleBMC ecology and evolution2021

Using environmental DNA methods to improve detectability in an endangered sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) monitoring program.

Dan Yu, Zhongyuan Shen, Tao Chang, Sha Li, Huanzhang Liu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC ecology and evolution, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Dan Yu *The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, Hubei, China.
Zhongyuan Shen *The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, Hubei, China.
Tao ChangThe Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, Hubei, China.
Sha LiHubei Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Project for Conservation of Fishes, Chinese Sturgeon Research Institute, China Three Gorges Corporation, Yichang, 443100, Hubei, China.
Huanzhang LiuThe Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, Hubei, China. hzliu@ihb.ac.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTo determine the presence and abundance of an aquatic species in large waterbodies, especially when populations are at low densities, is highly challenging for conservation biologists. Environmental DNA (eDNA) has the potential to offer a noninvasive and cost-effective method to complement traditional population monitoring, however, eDNA has not been extensively applied to study large migratory species. Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis), is the largest anadromous migratory fish in the Yangtze River, China, and in recent years its population has dramatically declined and spawning has failed, bringing this species to the brink of extinction. In this study, we aim to test the detectability of eDNA methods to determine the presence and relative abundance of reproductive stock of the species and whether eDNA can be used as a tool to reflect behavioral patterns. Chinese sturgeon eDNA was collected from four sites along the spawning ground across an eight month period, to investigate the temporal and spatial distribution using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR).

resultsWe designed a pair of specific primers for Chinese sturgeon and demonstrated the high sensitivity of ddPCR to detect and quantify the Chinese sturgeon eDNA concentration with the limit of detection 0.17 copies/μl, with Chinese sturgeon eDNA been intermittently detected at all sampling sites. There was a consistent temporal pattern among four of the sampling sites that could reflect the movement characteristics of the Chinese sturgeon in the spawning ground, but without a spatial pattern. The eDNA concentration declined by approximately 2-3 × between December 2018 and December 2019.

conclusionsThe results prove the efficacy of eDNA for monitoring reproductive stock of the Chinese sturgeon and the e decreased eDNA concentration reflect that Chinese sturgeon may survive with an extremely small number of reproductive stock in the Yangtze River. Accordingly, we suggest future conservation measures should focus on both habitat restoration and matured fish restocking to ensure successful spawning. Overall, this study provides encouraging support for the application of eDNA methods to monitor endangered aquatic species.

Indexed as

DNA, EnvironmentalAnimalsEcosystemEndangered SpeciesFishesRiversDNA, EnvironmentalDroplet digital PCREnvironmental DNAReproductive stockSturgeon

Identifiers

PMID34852759
PMCPMC8638369

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.