Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID VA 2024 Angermeier

Cage experiments to assess eDNA detection distance in small temperature streams

Institute: Virginia
Year Established: 2024 Start Date: 2024-09-01 End Date: 2025-08-31
Total Federal Funds: $9,956 Total Non-Federal Funds: $9,956

Principal Investigators: Paul Angermeier

Project Summary: This study entails stream-health biomonitoring to assess the efficacy of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) in the Chesapeake Bay Basin. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is an emerging biomonitoring tool that detects multiple species with greater sensitivity and lower cost than conventional capture-based methods. This study will use caged fish species in varied stream types and eDNA collected downstream to assess species- and stream-specific eDNA and biomass links. Findings will enhance our understanding of eDNA sampling extent and fish- community representation under natural conditions.