Oral Presentation Society for Freshwater Science 2025 Annual Meeting

The Beaver’s Blueprint: Monitoring Water Quality and Biodiversity with eDNA Technology (116539)

Alyssa Baldwin 1 , Courtney Larson 2 , Lusha Tronstad 3 , Melanie Murphy 1 4
  1. Ecosystem Science and Watershed Management, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, U.S.A
  2. The Nature Conservancy of Wyoming, Lander, Wyoming, U.S.A
  3. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, U.S.A
  4. Program in Ecology and Evolution, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, U.S.A

Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) are human-made structures that replicate the hydrological effects of beaver dams and offer unique opportunities to study the impacts of these alterations on biodiversity and water quality. Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis revolutionizes monitoring protocols by providing a non-invasive approach to detect species and assess ecosystem health. In this study, we utilize eDNA to monitor macroinvertebrates, and amphibians, and employ metabarcoding to identify macroinvertebrate communities. We also conducted field surveys for amphibians, macroinvertebrates, and plants, offering a comprehensive approach to understanding biodiversity in these dynamic stream systems. eDNA is a tool we use to detect the presence of amphibians and macroinvertebrates by analyzing DNA fragments shed into the environment. By sampling water at 30 locations across multiple seasons within each treatment area (Beaver, BDA, and Reference), we detected amphibian species in both visual surveys and eDNA samples. For macroinvertebrates, we conducted a CO1 metabarcoding, a DNA sequencing technique that allows for the identification of entire communities of invertebrates from water samples, providing a detailed snapshot of biodiversity and ecological function. We detected 65 unique genera through metabarcoding and in field collections we detected 56 unique genera. We distinctly saw unique communities in field-collected and overlapping communities with metabarcoding.

In addition to biodiversity monitoring, eDNA plays a vital role in assessing water quality. We use eDNA to detect the presence of E. coli in water samples, an important indicator of microbial contamination and potential risks to public health. As well as taking macroinvertebrates and assigning them to Hilsenhoff Biotic Index (HBI) tolerance values to assess stream health. By combining these approaches, we gain a holistic understanding of the ecosystem, revealing how BDAs affect not only biodiversity but also the health of aquatic environments. Our findings contribute to the broader understanding of the ecological benefits and challenges associated with restoration, providing a foundation for future eDNA and restoration efforts.