Development and Application of a Portable Environmental DNA Test for the Detection of Rafetus swinhoei in Viet Nam
ABSTRACT Swinhoe's (or Yangtze) giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) is a large, critically endangered freshwater turtle and considered among the rarest species in the world. As of 2024, only two individuals have been confirmed to remain alive, one at the Suzhou Zoo in China and one in Xua...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2024-09-01
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| Series: | Environmental DNA |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.70011 |
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| author | Tracie A. Seimon Nguyen Van Long Minh Le Timothy E. M. McCormack Tham Thi Nguyen Hanh Ngo Nguyen Tai Thang Thuy Hoang Steven G. Platt Hoang Van Ha Nguyen Van Trong Brian Horne Colleen A. Barrett Denise McAloose Paul P. Calle |
| author_facet | Tracie A. Seimon Nguyen Van Long Minh Le Timothy E. M. McCormack Tham Thi Nguyen Hanh Ngo Nguyen Tai Thang Thuy Hoang Steven G. Platt Hoang Van Ha Nguyen Van Trong Brian Horne Colleen A. Barrett Denise McAloose Paul P. Calle |
| author_sort | Tracie A. Seimon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Swinhoe's (or Yangtze) giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) is a large, critically endangered freshwater turtle and considered among the rarest species in the world. As of 2024, only two individuals have been confirmed to remain alive, one at the Suzhou Zoo in China and one in Xuan Khanh Lake, Viet Nam. The only hope for the long‐term survival of R. swinhoei is finding additional, as yet undiscovered, animals that have thus far eluded detection by traditional survey methods. In recent years, numerous studies have been published on the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) for species detection and monitoring. This method takes advantage of the persistence of DNA in the environment, such as in water, soil, and air. An organism's DNA is shed into the environment through urine, feces, and the sloughing of skin. Species‐specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) testing can be used to detect eDNA in samples collected from the environment. eDNA trials to detect R. swinhoei were initiated by the Asian Turtle Program and Washington State University in 2013. To expand the use of eDNA for species detection by conservationists, we developed and validated a first‐of‐its‐kind innovative point‐of‐detection (POD) qPCR platform for the rapid, onsite detection of R. swinhoei from water samples. Here we show that the portable eDNA test kit can be used for the successful detection of R. swinhoei in a large body of water and that pooling filters may be a useful strategy to reduce test costs and improve detection efficiency. Use of this test can expand the search for R. swinhoei in unexplored and understudied lakes, reservoirs, and other bodies of water where this species may be present and could inform field surveys utilizing eDNA for other threatened species that are rare in nature. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e4319d622c0e44d491d7ce05d18d8f85 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2637-4943 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-09-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental DNA |
| spelling | doaj-art-e4319d622c0e44d491d7ce05d18d8f852025-08-20T02:12:24ZengWileyEnvironmental DNA2637-49432024-09-0165n/an/a10.1002/edn3.70011Development and Application of a Portable Environmental DNA Test for the Detection of Rafetus swinhoei in Viet NamTracie A. Seimon0Nguyen Van Long1Minh Le2Timothy E. M. McCormack3Tham Thi Nguyen4Hanh Ngo5Nguyen Tai Thang6Thuy Hoang7Steven G. Platt8Hoang Van Ha9Nguyen Van Trong10Brian Horne11Colleen A. Barrett12Denise McAloose13Paul P. Calle14Wildlife Conservation Society Bronx Zoo, Zoological Health Program Bronx New York USAWildlife Conservation Society Hanoi VietnamDepartment of Environmental Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, University of Science Viet Nam National University Hanoi VietnamAsian Turtle Program – Indo‐Myanmar Conservation (ATP/IMC) Hanoi VietnamCentral Institute for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (CRES) Viet Nam National University Hanoi VietnamCentral Institute for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (CRES) Viet Nam National University Hanoi VietnamAsian Turtle Program – Indo‐Myanmar Conservation (ATP/IMC) Hanoi VietnamWildlife Conservation Society Hanoi VietnamWildlife Conservation Society Bronx Zoo, Zoological Health Program Bronx New York USAAsian Turtle Program – Indo‐Myanmar Conservation (ATP/IMC) Hanoi VietnamAsian Turtle Program – Indo‐Myanmar Conservation (ATP/IMC) Hanoi VietnamWildlife Conservation Society Bronx Zoo, Zoological Health Program Bronx New York USAWildlife Conservation Society Bronx Zoo, Zoological Health Program Bronx New York USAWildlife Conservation Society Bronx Zoo, Zoological Health Program Bronx New York USAWildlife Conservation Society Bronx Zoo, Zoological Health Program Bronx New York USAABSTRACT Swinhoe's (or Yangtze) giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) is a large, critically endangered freshwater turtle and considered among the rarest species in the world. As of 2024, only two individuals have been confirmed to remain alive, one at the Suzhou Zoo in China and one in Xuan Khanh Lake, Viet Nam. The only hope for the long‐term survival of R. swinhoei is finding additional, as yet undiscovered, animals that have thus far eluded detection by traditional survey methods. In recent years, numerous studies have been published on the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) for species detection and monitoring. This method takes advantage of the persistence of DNA in the environment, such as in water, soil, and air. An organism's DNA is shed into the environment through urine, feces, and the sloughing of skin. Species‐specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) testing can be used to detect eDNA in samples collected from the environment. eDNA trials to detect R. swinhoei were initiated by the Asian Turtle Program and Washington State University in 2013. To expand the use of eDNA for species detection by conservationists, we developed and validated a first‐of‐its‐kind innovative point‐of‐detection (POD) qPCR platform for the rapid, onsite detection of R. swinhoei from water samples. Here we show that the portable eDNA test kit can be used for the successful detection of R. swinhoei in a large body of water and that pooling filters may be a useful strategy to reduce test costs and improve detection efficiency. Use of this test can expand the search for R. swinhoei in unexplored and understudied lakes, reservoirs, and other bodies of water where this species may be present and could inform field surveys utilizing eDNA for other threatened species that are rare in nature.https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.70011environmental DNARafetus swinhoeiRed River giant softshell turtleSwinhoe's softshell turtlethe Shanghai softshell turtlethe speckled softshell turtle |
| spellingShingle | Tracie A. Seimon Nguyen Van Long Minh Le Timothy E. M. McCormack Tham Thi Nguyen Hanh Ngo Nguyen Tai Thang Thuy Hoang Steven G. Platt Hoang Van Ha Nguyen Van Trong Brian Horne Colleen A. Barrett Denise McAloose Paul P. Calle Development and Application of a Portable Environmental DNA Test for the Detection of Rafetus swinhoei in Viet Nam Environmental DNA environmental DNA Rafetus swinhoei Red River giant softshell turtle Swinhoe's softshell turtle the Shanghai softshell turtle the speckled softshell turtle |
| title | Development and Application of a Portable Environmental DNA Test for the Detection of Rafetus swinhoei in Viet Nam |
| title_full | Development and Application of a Portable Environmental DNA Test for the Detection of Rafetus swinhoei in Viet Nam |
| title_fullStr | Development and Application of a Portable Environmental DNA Test for the Detection of Rafetus swinhoei in Viet Nam |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development and Application of a Portable Environmental DNA Test for the Detection of Rafetus swinhoei in Viet Nam |
| title_short | Development and Application of a Portable Environmental DNA Test for the Detection of Rafetus swinhoei in Viet Nam |
| title_sort | development and application of a portable environmental dna test for the detection of rafetus swinhoei in viet nam |
| topic | environmental DNA Rafetus swinhoei Red River giant softshell turtle Swinhoe's softshell turtle the Shanghai softshell turtle the speckled softshell turtle |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.70011 |
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