Development and Validation of Quantitative PCR Assays for Detecting and Monitoring Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus) in Environmental DNA Samples

The Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, which inhabits waters on the southeastern coast of the United States and is particularly abundant in the seagrass and coral reef habitats of South Florida, is an important commercial and sport fisheries species throughout the region. In recent years, populations of P. argus have declined by more than 50%, which is believed to be due, in part, to habitat degradation. Monitoring the population of the Caribbean spiny lobster is crucial for effective conservation and fisheries management efforts; however, traditional methods for assessing the abundance of P. argus, including catch-per-unit effort (CPUE) analyses and visual surveys, are dependent upon the accuracy of fisheries data and can be costly due to high labor costs associated with visual surveys. Here, we present two probe-based qPCR assays targeting the COI and 16S rDNA gene regions in P. argus and demonstrate their use for a non-invasive eDNA-based approach to supplement traditional methods for monitoring the abundance of P. argus. After validation using mesocosm eDNA samples with gBlocks spike-ins of known concentrations, these probes were used to characterize the abundance of P. argus DNA in 36 samples from 12 sites in Florida Bay using both qPCR and dPCR. The results of these analyses were compared to the results of visual surveys conducted by FWRI at the time of sample collection. Initial results suggest that P. argus DNA can be identified in eDNA samples. Still, additional samples from abundant sites are needed to clarify the correlation between eDNA and lobster abundance.

Presentation Preference: Oral

Primary Presenter: Reneisha Sweet, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS (J00836759@students.jsums.edu)

Authors:

Reneisha Sweet, Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi  (J00836759@students.jsums.edu)

Dr. Stephanie Rosales, Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States and Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Key Biscayne, FL, United States  (Stephanie.Rosales@noaa.gov)

Dr. Brent Thoma, Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi  (Brent.p.thoma@jsums.edu)