Abstract
The conservation and management of subterranean biodiversity is hindered by a lack of knowledge on the true distributions for many species, e.g., the Wallacean shortfall. In recent years, several studies have demonstrated the potential of environmental DNA (eDNA) as an effective approach to detect and monitor biodiversity, including rare, threatened, and endangered taxa. However, there are few eDNA studies of groundwater fauna. Here we report the results of the development and implementation of an eDNA assay targeting a short fragment of the mitochondrial CO1 locus of a critically imperiled cave crayfish, the Sweet Home Alabama Cave Crayfish (Cambarus speleocoopi), known from just four cave systems in the Interior Plateau karst region of northern Alabama. We detected C. speleocoopi DNA from water samples collected at 5 of 16 sites sampled (caves and springs), including two historical sites as well as three additional and potentially new sites in Marshall County, Alabama. All three of these sites were within 2 km of historical sites. Our study is the first to detect a groundwater crustacean in the Interior Plateau karst region. Additionally, our study contributes to the growing literature that eDNA is a viable complementary tool for detection and monitoring of a fauna that is difficult to survey and study using traditional approaches.
Highlights
Effective conservation and management of biodiversity is limited by a lack of knowledge on the distributions of species
We developed, tested, and validated an environmental DNA (eDNA) assay for C. speleocoopi and screened water samples collected from springs and cave systems within and near its distribution to test the applicability of an eDNA approach to detect a karst groundwater crustacean and identify possible new sites of this imperiled crayfish
In silico assay validation demonstrated that this assay was not likely to amplify non-target crayfish species, other cave-dwelling crayfishes in the genus Cambarus that occur in the Tennessee River Valley of northern Alabama–C. hamulatus, C. jonesi, C. laconensis, C. pecki, and C. tenebrosus
Summary
Effective conservation and management of biodiversity is limited by a lack of knowledge on the distributions of species. This biodiversity knowledge gap known as the Wallacean shortfall [1] is prominent for fauna that live in groundwater and other subterranean ecosystems [2, 3]. This is, in part, because subterranean habitats are extremely challenging to access and survey using traditional approaches, such as visual surveys and trapping (i.e., the Racovitzan shortfall; [4]). The development of sound management strategies and measurable conservation priorities for most stygofauna is exceedingly difficult.
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