Images

Smith-Root eDNA sampler collecting and filtering water from a tributary of the Okanogan River. Researchers are looking for traces of environmental DNA from spring-Chinook salmon that were reintroduced in the river. 

USGS biologist Stacy Simanonok captures a bumble bee in a net during a pollinator survey in the grasslands of the North Dakota plains. Researchers are testing environmental DNA sampling methods to determine if this less invasive way to survey for pollinators generates similar results as traditional netting methods.

An endangered rusty patched bumble bee visiting a butterfly milkweed flower at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

A Northern Great Plains grassland in North Dakota photographed during a survey for bees and flowers.

A sea of purple prairie clover in the Northern Great Plains of North Dakota, photographed during a survey for bees and flowers on private property enrolled in a USDA conservation program.

USGS technicians preparing to sample a grassland for bees and flowers in the North Dakota plains. The technicians are counting the number of blooming flowers in a transect.

Researchers at the Pacific Northwest Environmental DNA Laboratory designed artificial flowers to attract pollinators. DNA left behind on the flowers can be collected and analyzed as a non-invasive way to survey for pollinator species diversity and abundance.

A vegetated drainageway wetland on Bureau of Land Management Land near Rawlins, WY. The Pacific Northwest eDNA Laboratory is working with the BLM on incorporating eDNA sampling into its Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) Strategy for assessing natural resources in riparian areas and wetlands.

A vegetated drainageway wetland on Bureau of Land Management land near Rawlins, WY

An endangered rusty patched bumble bee visiting a prairie dock flower on conservation lands in Illinois. The rusty patched bumble bee is the first pollinator species to be listed as Endangered under the Endangered Species Act in the continental United States. 

Instructors teaching line-point intercept vegetation sampling methods to field technicians at a Bureau of Land Management Riparian & Wetland Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) strategy training near Elko, NV. The Pacific Northwest eDNA Laboratory is working with the BLM to incorporate eDNA sampling into the AIM strategy.

Instructors and field technicians discussing a groundwater-fed slope wetland during a training session for the Bureau of Land Management Riparian & Wetland Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) Strategy near Randolf, Utah. The Pacific Northwest eDNA Laboratory is working with the BLM to incorporate eDNA sampling into the AIM strategy.

Instructors and field technicians discussing wetland soil properties during a Bureau of Land Management Riparian & Wetland Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) Strategy training session near Randolf, Utah. The objective of the AIM strategy is to provide standardized monitoring for assessing natural resources on BLM public lands.

A technician wades in the Jarbridge River, Idaho, to collect water samples for environmental DNA analysis. 

A hand-driven pump can be used to filter water samples when electricity is not available at the sampling site, or when the weight of sampling equipment is a concern. 

If working in a remote location without access to electricity, and willing to carry a rechargeable cordless driver or drill and a peristaltic pump head, this water filtering apparatus can speed up the process of collecting environmental DNA samples when compared to a hand pump.

A technician filtering a water sample from the Boise River, ID using a motorized pump. When water sampling sites are near an electrical power source, or if you prefer to collect samples and transport them to the lab for filtering, a 120-C AC motor unit can be used with a peristaltic pump head to quickly filter samples.

Water samples may be collected for environmental DNA analysis by directly submerging the filter funnel (connected to a length of silicone tubing) into the stream or pond with the pump engaged.

After a water sample is filtered, the filter is folded and placed into a ethanol-filled vial for preservation.

Water samples may be collected for environmental DNA analysis using a sterile collection bottle or sterile sample bag. The water sample is then poured into the filter funnel with the pump engaged.

Disconnected top and bottom units of a filter funnel and the exposed filter membrane, a common apparatus used for filtering water samples for environmental DNA analysis.