Monitoring of the Invasive Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in an Estuarine Seascape Based on eDNA

ABSTRACT In marine environments, nonindigenous species (NIS) are especially difficult to manage since they are often first detected when fully established and near impossible to eradicate. The development and implementation of effective monitoring methods for marine NIS are therefore crucial for ear...

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Main Authors: Leon Green, Marina Panova, Thomas G. Dahlgren, Alizz Axberg, Matthias Obst, Per Sundberg
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-03-01
Series:Environmental DNA
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.70076
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author Leon Green
Marina Panova
Thomas G. Dahlgren
Alizz Axberg
Matthias Obst
Per Sundberg
author_facet Leon Green
Marina Panova
Thomas G. Dahlgren
Alizz Axberg
Matthias Obst
Per Sundberg
author_sort Leon Green
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT In marine environments, nonindigenous species (NIS) are especially difficult to manage since they are often first detected when fully established and near impossible to eradicate. The development and implementation of effective monitoring methods for marine NIS are therefore crucial for early detection valuable to management. In this study, we develop and evaluate environmental DNA monitoring using quantitative digital PCR (dPCR) to assess the presence of the euryhaline round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in a seascape environment close to Scandinavia's largest shipping port. We developed a dPCR assay for the species, targeting a region of the 12S gene, and verified its specificity compared to other locally common species from the gobiid family. Using captive live fish, we also experimentally determined the decaying rate of N. melanostomus DNA in water to a half‐life of 9.8 h in 15 ppt salinity and 15°C. Finally, we sampled 10 sites within a 400 km2 area using eDNA, fyke nets, and baited remote video to validate the accuracy of the water samples to predict the presence and abundance of the species. We found that the number of DNA copies extracted from the water samples varied strongly at sites where N. melanostomus were caught in nets or on video, but the average value from four water samples significantly correlated with an average value from four video samples and also with the total catch at each site. The eDNA assay also detected signals from the species at sites where no fish were caught by fishing or on video. These results show that this method is sensitive for the species at low abundance, and with enough replicates, it can be possible to determine the relative abundance between sites.
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spelling doaj-art-4e0ecb1b42c642e4b5f0496abb936f122025-08-20T02:17:20ZengWileyEnvironmental DNA2637-49432025-03-0172n/an/a10.1002/edn3.70076Monitoring of the Invasive Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in an Estuarine Seascape Based on eDNALeon Green0Marina Panova1Thomas G. Dahlgren2Alizz Axberg3Matthias Obst4Per Sundberg5Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg SwedenDepartment of Marine Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg SwedenDepartment of Marine Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg SwedenDepartment of Marine Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg SwedenDepartment of Marine Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg SwedenDepartment of Marine Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg SwedenABSTRACT In marine environments, nonindigenous species (NIS) are especially difficult to manage since they are often first detected when fully established and near impossible to eradicate. The development and implementation of effective monitoring methods for marine NIS are therefore crucial for early detection valuable to management. In this study, we develop and evaluate environmental DNA monitoring using quantitative digital PCR (dPCR) to assess the presence of the euryhaline round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in a seascape environment close to Scandinavia's largest shipping port. We developed a dPCR assay for the species, targeting a region of the 12S gene, and verified its specificity compared to other locally common species from the gobiid family. Using captive live fish, we also experimentally determined the decaying rate of N. melanostomus DNA in water to a half‐life of 9.8 h in 15 ppt salinity and 15°C. Finally, we sampled 10 sites within a 400 km2 area using eDNA, fyke nets, and baited remote video to validate the accuracy of the water samples to predict the presence and abundance of the species. We found that the number of DNA copies extracted from the water samples varied strongly at sites where N. melanostomus were caught in nets or on video, but the average value from four water samples significantly correlated with an average value from four video samples and also with the total catch at each site. The eDNA assay also detected signals from the species at sites where no fish were caught by fishing or on video. These results show that this method is sensitive for the species at low abundance, and with enough replicates, it can be possible to determine the relative abundance between sites.https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.70076abundancebiological invasionexotic speciesfishGobiidaespecies control
spellingShingle Leon Green
Marina Panova
Thomas G. Dahlgren
Alizz Axberg
Matthias Obst
Per Sundberg
Monitoring of the Invasive Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in an Estuarine Seascape Based on eDNA
Environmental DNA
abundance
biological invasion
exotic species
fish
Gobiidae
species control
title Monitoring of the Invasive Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in an Estuarine Seascape Based on eDNA
title_full Monitoring of the Invasive Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in an Estuarine Seascape Based on eDNA
title_fullStr Monitoring of the Invasive Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in an Estuarine Seascape Based on eDNA
title_full_unstemmed Monitoring of the Invasive Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in an Estuarine Seascape Based on eDNA
title_short Monitoring of the Invasive Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in an Estuarine Seascape Based on eDNA
title_sort monitoring of the invasive round goby neogobius melanostomus in an estuarine seascape based on edna
topic abundance
biological invasion
exotic species
fish
Gobiidae
species control
url https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.70076
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