Patrick R. Hutchins Robert L. Massengill Kristine J. Dunker Adam J. Sepulveda 2018 <p>Environmental DNA (eDNA) has improved detection probabilities of aquatic invasive species but lab-based analytical<br>platforms for eDNA analyses slow opportunities for rapid response. Effective approaches that address this analytical<br>bottleneck and improve capacity for rapid response are urgently needed. We tested the sensitivity of a portable, field-based<br>eDNA platform relative to widely used lab-based eDNA approaches for detecting invasive northern pike (Esox lucius) in<br>eight lakes on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. The portable, field-based platform takes ~ 1 hr from sample collection to final results<br>and uses a field-based DNA extraction kit, a shelf-stable assay, and a portable real-time PCR thermocycler. Lab-based<br>approaches take days to weeks to months for final results and use lab-based DNA extraction kits, lab-bound assays, and<br>benchtop real-time thermocyclers. We found that the portable, field-based approach was less sensitive than lab-based<br>approaches and was more prone to inhibition, thus increasing potential for false-negatives. Until sensitivity and inhibition<br>issues can be resolved, this portable, field-based approach is best viewed as a complement to rather than a replacement of<br>standard eDNA lab-based approaches.</p> application/pdf 10.3391/mbi.2018.9.3.07 en REABIC Tradeoffs of a portable, field-based environmental DNA platform for detecting invasive northern pike (Esox lucius) in Alaska article