scholarly journals Matching a snail’s pace: Successful use of environmental DNA techniques to detect early stages of invasion by the destructive New Zealand mud snail

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
James D. Woodell ◽  
Maurine Neiman ◽  
Edward P. Levri
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Invasive Population ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Mud Snail ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
New Zealand Mud Snail ◽  
And Control

ABSTRACTEarly detection of invasive species allows for a more rapid and effective response. Restoration of the native ecosystem after an invasive population has established is expensive and difficult but more likely to succeed when invasions are detected early in the invasion process. Containment efforts to prevent the spread of known invasions also benefit from earlier knowledge of invaded sites. Environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques have emerged as a tool that can identify invasive species at a distinctly earlier time point than traditional methods of detection. Due to expected range expansion in eastern North America, we focus on the destructive New Zealand Mud Snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum (NZMS) invasion. We collected water samples from eight sites that prior evidence indicated were not yet invaded by the NZMS. After filtering these samples to collect eDNA, we used a species-specific probe with qPCR to identify NZMS eDNA. We found evidence for NZMS invasion at five of the eight sites, with later physical confirmation of mud snails at one of these sites. This study is the first example of successful detection of a previously unidentified invasive population of NZMS, setting the stage for further monitoring of at-risk sites to detect and control new invasions of this destructive snail. This study also shows potential opportunities for invasion monitoring offered by using low-cost efforts and methods that are adaptable for citizen science.

scholarly journals Using in-situ environmental DNA sampling to detect the invasive New Zealand Mud Snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) in freshwaters

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11835
Author(s):  
Jake J. Ponce ◽  
Ivan Arismendi ◽  
Austen Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Potamopyrgus Antipodarum ◽  
Real Time Quantitative Pcr ◽  
Mud Snail ◽  
Rapid Responses ◽  
Detection Approach ◽  
New Zealand Mud Snail

Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection of aquatic invasive species is currently at the forefront of aquatic conservation efforts because the methodology provides a cost effective and sensitive means to detect animals at low densities. Developments in eDNA technologies have improved detection probabilities for rare, indicator, and invasive species over the past decade. However, standard lab analysis can take days or weeks before results are available and is prohibitive when rapid management decisions are required for mitigation. Here, we investigated the performance of a real-time quantitative PCR system for on-site eDNA detection of New Zealand mud snails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum). Six sites in western Washington, USA were sampled using the rapid eDNA technique and traditional methods, with five samples per site. On-site eDNA detection of mud snails resulted in a 10% increase in positive sites (16/30 = 53% positive) relative to visual surveys (13/30 = 43% positive). In addition, positive associations were observed between mud snail eDNA concentration (eDNA copies per reaction) and the number of mud snail individuals at each site (R2 = 0.78). We show that the rapid on-site eDNA technology can be effective for detection and quantification of New Zealand mud snails in freshwaters. This on-site eDNA detection approach could possibly be used to initiate management protocols that allow for more rapid responses during the onset of biological invasions.

scholarly journals Ten-Years Later: Long-Term Analyses of the Abundance and Biomass of the Non-Native New Zealand Mud Snail and Native Invertebrate Communities in the Greater Yellowstone Area

2011 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 147-150
Author(s):  
Teresa Tibbets
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
National Park ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Community ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Mud Snail ◽  
Greater Yellowstone Area ◽  
Greater Yellowstone ◽  
New Zealand Mud Snail

Invasive species are one of the top two threats to native biodiversity worldwide (Mack et al. 2000). A primary goal of invasion biology is to predict which introduced species become invasive, or reach pest status, and which systems are susceptible to invasion (Heger and Trepl 2003). In order to complete this goal, it is vital to understand long-term dynamics of invasive species populations and their interactions with native communities in their introduced range. Most studies of invasions by non-native species are not extensive enough to determine long-term effects on the native systems (Strayer 2010). The first objective of this study is to determine the long-term abundance and biomass of the New Zealand mud snail, (Potamopyrgus antipodarum), in the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA). The second objective is to analyze the long-term effects of P. antipodarum on the biomass, abundance, and taxon diversity of native benthic invertebrate assemblages in the GYA. The ten-year span of data available for P. antipodarum and the native macroinvertebrate communities at Lower Polecat Creek in Grand Teton National Park and the Gibbon and Firehole Rivers in Yellowstone National Park provide a unique opportunity to study the macroinvertebrate community succession over time. Data from the proposed macroinvertebrate community survey in the summer of 2011 will be compiled with previous surveys from 2001-2009 to evaluate the long-term changes in the macroinvertebrate community at Polecat Creek and the Gibbon and Firehole Rivers.

scholarly journals Interactions Between the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail (Potamopyrgus Antipodarum) and a Native Snail (Fossaria Bakerilymnaea Bulimoides Group) in the Greater Yeelowstone

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 161-170
Author(s):  
Heather Thon ◽  
Amy Krist
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
American West ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Potamopyrgus Antipodarum ◽  
The Past ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
And Function ◽  
New Zealand Mud Snail ◽  
The Impact

Understanding invasive species impacts is critical to determining how an ecosystem may function after an introduction. Invasive species can alter the structure and function of ecosystems, reduce biological diversity, and alter communities through predation, facilitation and competition. In the past 30 years, the invasive New Zealand mud snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) has established in areas of conservation concern in the American West including Yellowstone National Park. To develop a greater understanding of the impact of P. antipodarum on the native co-occurring snail, Fossaria (Bakerilymnaea) bulimoides group, we conducted two experiments to assess the interactions occurring between these snails. We found that F. bulimoides growth was reduced by all interactors, but especially by P. antipodarum. In addition, growth of F. bulimoides was much more affected by high biomass of snails than P. antipodarum. P. antipodarum grew more in the presence of interactors and their growth was facilitated by the presence of the native snail F. bulimoides.

scholarly journals Northern range expansion and coastal occurrences of the New Zealand mud snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum Gray, 1843) in the northeast Pacific

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Davidson ◽  
Valance Brenneis ◽  
Catherine de Rivera ◽  
Robyn Draheim ◽  
Graham Gillespie
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Range Expansion ◽  
Potamopyrgus Antipodarum ◽  
Northeast Pacific ◽  
Mud Snail ◽  
New Zealand Mud Snail
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