Christopher M Merkes

Description of Work This spring (2014) we will measure Asian carp eDNA over time at a Missouri River site downstream of multiple spawning areas before and during spawning. We will measure the amount of Asian carp eDNA in water samples. The amount of eDNA will be related to the numbers of eggs and larvae counted in matched samples (water samples taken at the same time and place). The time since the eDNA was released by the carp will be estimated and these results will be related to the average age of AC eggs and larvae in matched samples. We will also test for substances which interfere with the eDNA measurement techniques and can lead to false negatives. We will also be validating markers developed by USGS and...

Categories: Project; Tags: Asian Carp, GLRI, Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Invasive Species, All tags... Template 66, Template 673, Fewer tags

Wabash River, Indiana bigheaded carps environmental DNA: Data

This dataset includes quantifications of bigheaded carp DNA found in water samples collected from the Wabash River along transects at 3 sites over time. The samples were collected at 18 equidistant points in a transect across the river at each site. Samples were collected in 2013 on May 29, 30, 31, June 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, and 22. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed to determine the DNA concentrations in two replicates using the bigheaded carp assay defined in Merkes and others 2014.

Categories: Data; Types: Citation, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: Americus, Asian carp, Bigheaded carps, Environmental DNA, French Post, All tags... Indiana, Mascouten, United States, Wabash River, eDNA, polymerase chain reaction, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Fewer tags

Seasonal trends in eDNA detection and occupancy of bigheaded carps, Wabash River, IN: Raw Data

Invasive species may vary in their seasonal distribution and abundance due to environmental conditions such as precipitation and temperature. Bigheaded carps, which include silver and bighead carp, are one such taxon of invasive species that appear to change habitats seasonally. Seasonal changes in bigheaded carp distribution may occur because of hydrological changes, water temperature changes, and spawning activities. Monitoring this seasonal dispersal and migration is important for management to control the population size and spread of the species. We examined if environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches could detect seasonal changes in the occurrence of DNA in water samples and used these approaches to calculate the...

Categories: Data; Types: Citation, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: Americus, French Post, Indiana, Mascouten, Occupancy modeling, All tags... Presence/absence, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), Wabash River, big headed carp, invasive species, Fewer tags

This data set was collected to provide examples and aid in developing a standardized way of determining LOD and LOQ for eDNA assays and has 3 data files. GEDWG_LOD_DATA3.csv is raw qPCR data from multiple labs running multiple standards of known concentration for eDNA assays they regularly use. Comparison-Data.csv is the merged data output from running a generic LOD/LOQ calculator script multiple times with different LOD model settings. The generic LOD/LOQ calculator script is available at: https://github.com/cmerkes/qPCR_LOD_Calc, and details about the multiple settings used are commented in the analysis script available at: https://github.com/cmerkes/LOD_Analysis

Categories: Data; Tags: Environmental DNA, PCR, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), Whitney Genetics Laboratory, 555 Lester Avenue, Onalaska, Wisconsin, 54650, biota, All tags... detection, eDNA, invasive species, Fewer tags

Bigheaded carp ichthyoplankton qPCR screening tool: data

This dataset includes information from ichthyoplankton sampling for silver carp and bighead carp collected from three main reaches in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, including the La Grange, Peoria, Starved Rock, and Marseilles reaches of the Illinois River, Pool 20 of Mississippi River, and the St. Croix River. Data include the number of bigheaded carp eggs and larvae identified using traditional manual sorting techniques, and genetic data derived from quantitative PCR (qPCR) and 4 bigheaded carp markers (SCTM4/5 and BHTM1/2) that were used to identify the amount of DNA in ichthyoplankton tow samples. These data provide information for natural resource agencies and managers who could use this qPCR screening...

Categories: Data; Tags: Hypophthalmichthys, Illinois, Illinois River, USA, Iowa, Midwest Region, USA, All tags... Minnesota, Mississippi River, USA, St Croix River, USA, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), Wisconsin, bighead carp, biota, eggs, genetic screening, larvae, silver carp, Fewer tags