Use of eDNA for species presence/absence surveys on transportation projects
Focus Area
Wildlife & Ecosystems
Subcommittee
Natural Resources
Status
Archived
Cost
$100k-$249k
Timeframe
1-2 years
Research Idea Scope
Assess the use of eDNA for detecting the presence/absence of protected species on transportation projects. If the application shows potential for accurate results that would be acceptable to natural resource agencies based field research, additional tasks could include developing a survey methodology for use by State DOTs and acceptable to resource agencies.
Urgency and Payoff
Current field survey methods of species detection can be detrimental to sensitive species, where as eDNA represents a passive species detection method. In addition, current methods are dependent on direct species observation, where as eDNA detects presence of residual species DNA in the environment. eDNA also has cost savings potential compared to traditional survey methods that are more labor intensive.
Submitted
06/24/2022