Tracking the southern river terrapin (Batagur affinis) through environmental DNA: prospects and challenges

Wilson, John-James; Sing, Kong-Wah; Chen, Pelf-Nyok; Zieritz, Alexandra

Abstract

Environmental DNA detection has emerged as a powerful tool to monitor aquatic species without the need for capture or visual identification and is particularly useful for rare or elusive species. Our objective was to develop an eDNA approach for detecting the southern river terrapin (Batagur affinis) in Malaysia. We designed species-specific primers for a fragment of B. affinis mtDNA and evaluated their effectiveness in silico, in vitro and in situ. The primers amplified 110 bp of the cytochrome b mtDNA sequence of B. affinis from aquarium water samples housing nine juvenile B. affinis. We also successfully detected B. affinis eDNA from river samples taken from a site where turtles were known to be in the vicinity. Prospects and challenges of using an eDNA approach to help determine the distribution of B. affinis, essential information for an effective conservation plan, are discussed.

Citation

Wilson, J.-J., Sing, K.-W., Chen, P.-N., & Zieritz, A. (2018). Tracking the southern river terrapin (Batagur affinis) through environmental DNA: prospects and challenges. Mitochondrial DNA Part A, 29(6), 862-866. https://doi.org/10.1080/24701394.2017.1373109

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 25, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Sep 8, 2017
• Publication Date: Aug 18, 2018
• Deposit Date: Feb 14, 2019
• Journal: Mitochondrial DNA Part A
• Print ISSN: 2470-1394
• Electronic ISSN: 2470-1408
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 29
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 862-866
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/24701394.2017.1373109
• Keywords: Genetics; Molecular Biology
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1548427
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/24701394.2017.1373109?journalCode=imdn21