Using environmental DNA to extend the window of early detection for dreissenid mussels

Abstract

Tools that bolster early detection of invasive dreissenid mussels are needed to prevent their spread across western North America. In this study, we assessed if environmental DNA (eDNA) can extend the seasonal window for dreissenid mussel early detection beyond that of plankton tows, which are limited to warmer seasons when mussel larvae are present. We focused eDNA sampling efforts at multiple sites in Tiber Reservoir (Montana) where dreissenid mussel abundance is hypothesized to be low. Samples were collected in June and October 2017, when water temperatures were cooler than thermal optima for dreissenid reproduction, and in July 2017 when water temperatures were warmer and conducive for reproduction. We detected dreissenid mussel DNA in June, July and October even though no dreissenid mussels were observed using non-molecular tools in 2017. A subset of positive and negative eDNA samples was analyzed by an independent lab and results were corroborated. We then estimated the effort needed for 95% probability detection of dreissenid DNA at each site within Tiber Reservoir and found that as many as 27, 14, and 34 samples needed to be collected in June, July and October, respectively. To further validate the utility of eDNA, we also present ancillary eDNA results from other waters in the Flathead Reservation (Montana) where dreissenid mussels have never been detected and from waters with established zebra mussel populations in the upper Mississippi River, which were sampled in the spring when water temperatures were cooler than thermal optima for dreissenid reproduction. All Flathead Reservation samples were negative for dreissenid mussel DNA, while all upper Mississippi River samples were positive. This study adds to a growing body of research that demonstrates eDNA is a highly sensitive tool for dreissenid mussel surveillance in newly invaded waters, including colder seasons when non-molecular tools are likely to be less effective or more challenging to employ.