Scientists and the Environmental Protection Agency unite to safeguard the Great Lakes.
The Great Lakes DNA Barcoding Project, an active and significant initiative, is revolutionizing the way we understand and manage the rich, yet vulnerable, biodiversity of the Great Lakes ecosystem. Funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this project employs environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to comprehensively identify species and assess biodiversity.
Located on the border between Canada and the United States, the Great Lakes—a group of five interconnected freshwater lakes—are home to approximately 180 distinct, non-native species, introduced over time. The project aims to understand the unknowns and undetected biological invasions in these lakes using genetic methods.
Researchers like Stephen Spear at the U.S. Geological Survey are applying eDNA techniques to support wildlife management in the Great Lakes region, including studies on invasive species such as grass carp in Lake Erie. This molecular approach enables detection and monitoring of all creatures in an aquatic ecosystem, from cryptic, rare, or early life stages that are otherwise hard to observe.
The importance of this project lies in how DNA barcoding and metabarcoding enhance biodiversity knowledge in ways traditional monitoring cannot. By sampling environmental DNA from water or sediments, scientists can detect a wide range of organisms with high resolution, improving biodiversity assessment, invasive species surveillance, food web and dietary studies, and conservation planning.
The diversity achieved in the project includes more than 10 classes of invertebrate animals. This diversity will serve as a valuable resource for tracking invasive and native species in the Great Lakes. The project's goals are to improve bioassessment methods, facilitate early detection of invasive species, and contribute scientific knowledge to the management of these aquatic resources.
The Great Lakes DNA Barcoding Project involves researchers from the US and Canada, including taxonomists, molecular biologists, ecologists, and aquatic biologists. In February 2020, a gathering at Cornell University discussed taxonomy, biodiversity, ecological and genetic analyses, portable DNA barcode sequencing technologies, and the future of DNA-based bioassessment methods.
The project aims to create a genetic barcode library for aquatic invertebrates living in the Great Lakes. Hundreds of samples are awaiting analysis, but DNA barcode data for over 300 species of aquatic invertebrates has already been produced. This project will also aid in correcting erroneous taxonomic information.
The Great Lakes, which constitute approximately 21% of the world's total freshwater supply, serve a variety of ecosystem services to around 40 million people living in their vicinity. The Great Lakes DNA Barcoding Project thus plays a critical role in understanding and managing the Great Lakes’ rich but vulnerable biodiversity in real time using cutting-edge molecular ecology tools.
- The Great Lakes DNA Barcoding Project, a collaborative effort between researchers from the US and Canada, seeks to create a genetic barcode library for aquatic invertebrates residing in the Great Lakes, addressing the diverse health-and-wellness of its aquatic ecosystem.
- To combat climate change and promote environmental science, the project employs eDNA metabarcoding to identify species and assess biodiversity, ultimately aiming to enhance conservation planning for the Great Lakes' valuable resources.
- By incorporating science and fitness-and-exercise methods such as ecological and genetic analyses, the Great Lakes DNA Barcoding Project furthers the understanding of the ecosystem's rich biodiversity, contributing to the development of more effective fitness-and-exercise strategies for the management of the environment.
