Early Detection of Aquatic Invasive Species finding the needle in - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Early Detection of Aquatic Invasive Species—finding the needle in the haystack

Jim Grazio, Ph.D. PA DEP- Office of the Great Lakes 19 March 2019

Presentation Outline

• Share current AIS monitoring research
• Discuss regional AIS monitoring initiatives

Primary Sources

• Hoffman et al. 2011. Effort and potential

efficiencies for aquatic non-native species early detection. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 68, 2064-2079.

• Trebitz et al. 2017. Early detection monitoring

for aquatic non-indigenous species: Optimizing surveillance, incorporating advanced technologies, and identifying research needs. Journal of Environmental Management 202, 299-310

Options for Finding the Needle

• Detection is only

“early” if organisms are found while still few and localized (i.e., rare).

• Rare organisms are

inherently difficult to find

What to Monitor

• What to Monitor

– Target Species Monitoring/ “Active” Surveillance

• Look for a needle

– Broad Spectrum Monitoring/ “Passive” Surveillance

• Look for Anything that’s

not hay

Where to Monitor

• Where to Monitor

– Consider

• Ecology
• Known ranges
• Pathways

– Needles occur in hay bales, not alfalfa bales

How to Monitor

• No survey can prove something

absent

• Goal should be reasonable

certainty that effort was sufficient to detect rare species

• Early Detection can be

resource intensive

– Risk v. resources

• Sampling Design

– Usually random (stratified cluster) or grid (spatially balanced)

• When Detection becomes

easier, control becomes harder

Like searching for a needle using point- intercept design

Species-Effort Curves

• How many times do you

need to look before you find all of the different types of needles?

– To detect 95% of:

• Zooplankton- 750

samples

• Benthic inverts- 150

samples

• Fish- 100 samples

Source: Hoffman et al. 2011. Effort and potential efficiencies for aquatic non-native species early detection. Can. J. Fish.

• Aquat. Sci. 68, 2064-2079.

What to Look For

• Look for an organism directly
• r indirectly?

– Entire organism v. eDNA

• Taxonomic approach

– Limited effectiveness and efficiency – “Gold Standard”

• eDNA

– Efficient and Effective – Limitations

• Organism alive or dead?
• Quantification?
• DNA persistence?

eDNA

• Two eDNA based approaches:

– DNA target marker approach

• PCR-based
• Species-specific primers

– DNA barcoding

• Determine base-pair sequences
• Compare against reference

sequences in database (e.g., GenBank)

• Metabarcoding examines

sequences across a broad number

• f taxa

Zebra mussel gel

Assessing Survey Performance

• Aspects to assess include:

– detection probability attained for a given effort (i.e., sensitivity) – efficiency with which detection is achieved, – uncertainty in the survey outcome

• Quantifying and communicating why you

didn’t find the needle

Conclusions

• The effort required for high-probability, early

detection of aquatic non-native species is substantial

• Proper sampling design can increase

efficiencies

– For early detection, targeted area/stratified cluster sampling (SCS) is (relatively) more efficient

• Consider and communicate uncertainty

– Create rarefaction curves

Regional AIS Surveillance Program

Regional AIS Surveillance Project

• GLRI-funded initiative

– MIDEQ sponsor, TNC facilitator, 8 State writing team

• Goals:

– 1) detect and track aquatic invasive species in the U.S. waters of the Great Lakes, – 2) provide up to date information needed by decision makers for evaluating potential response actions

• Supports the Great Lakes and St Lawrence Governors

and Premiers signed Mutual Aid Agreement

2014 Mutual Aid Agreement

The Plan

• Incorporates recent research
• Scope

– Fishes; Benthic Inverts, Plants – US Waters of Great Lakes Basin, including St. Lawrence Seaway

Plan Content

• Content

– Develops a species watch list. – Identifies 25 priority locations for surveillance. – Provides guidance on monitoring protocols for surveillance. – Establishes a process for regional decision making and coordination across state agencies. – Establishes protocols for sharing information. – Identifies a collaborative adaptive management process

Species Watch Lists

• Species Watch Lists based on NOAA Great

Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species Information System (GLANSIS)

• 138 species across three taxonomic groups

(fish, invertebrates, and plant/algae)

• Conventional sampling using multiple gears

plus eDNA for high-risk target species (e.g., Asian Carp and ruffe)

Priority Surveillance Sites

• 25 throughout

the Great Lakes

• Selected

primarily based on propagule pressure and human population

Site Rank Location State Averaged Index Score 1 Chicago/Chicago River Mouth IL 151 2 Toledo/Maumee River Mouth OH 108 3 West Harbor/Marblehead/Lake Erie OH 79 4 Oswego/Oswego River Mouth NY 75 5 Saginaw Bay/Saginaw River Mouth MI 69 6 Portage/Portage-Burns Waterway IN 68 7 Sandusky/Sandusky Bay OH 68 8 Buffalo/Niagara River NY 65 9 Benton Harbor/Saint Joseph River Mouth MI 65 10 Grosse Pointe Shores/Lake St. Clair MI 64 11 Calumet River Mouth/Lake Michigan IN 63 12 Lake St. Clair/Clinton River Mouth MI 57 13 Cleveland/Cuyahoga River Mouth OH 55 14 East Chicago/Indiana Harbor Canal IN 54 15 Evanston/North Shore Channel Mouth IL 53 16 Lakeside/ Lake St. Clair MI 50 17 Rochester/Genesee River Mouth NY 50 18 Detroit River/Rouge River Mouth MI 48 19 Grand Haven/Grand River Mouth MI 45 20 Green Bay/Fox River Mouth WI 44 21 Fairport Harbor/Grand River Mouth OH 39 22 Milwaukee/Kinnickinnic River Mouth WI 38 23 Erie/Presque Isle Bay PA 37 24 Toussaint River Mouth OH 36 25 Lorain/Black River Mouth OH 34

Priority Plant Surveillance Sites

Plant Invasion Risk

Survey Methods

• Stratified random (SCS) design
• Uses a variety of sampling gears to sample a

variety of habitats (stratification variable)

• Fishes

– Fyke nets, boat electrofishing, bottom trawls

• Invertebrates

– Ponars, sweep nets, Hester-Dendy

• Plants

– Rake Toss, videography, diving

• Adaptive- Assess and modify as appropriate

Regional AIS Surveillance Program

Other Great (Lakes) Stuff

• Post-Delisting

Monitoring Year

• Collaborative Science

Monitoring year on Lake Erie

• Lake Erie LAMP 5-year

report

• PA Sea Grant Mock AIS

response workshop 21 March 2019

Contact Information

• Jim Grazio, PhD

Great Lakes Biologist jagrazio@pa.gov 814-217-9636