- A trustworthy eDNA-based quantitative technique has been developed and optimised by the researchers to identify African Sharp tooth Catfish in aquatic system water samples.
- For aquaculture purposes, the North African Sharp tooth catfish species was forcibly imported into India. The species has now colonised the majority of freshwater environments.
eDNA
- It is characterised as genetic material that has been directly extracted from environmental samples (soil, silt, water, etc.) and lacks any overt biological traces.
- It is a reliable, non-intrusive, and simple sampling method that can be used in both historical and contemporary ecosystems. The technique is being used more frequently for biodiversity monitoring since it is sensitive, economical, and based on ever-evolving DNA sequencing technology.
Importance
- After some tweaking, this method will work with the present techniques to monitor endangered species. It can assist in understanding the composition of animal communities and detecting the spread of non-native species.
- Spotting animals can be difficult, especially if they inhabit inaccessible regions.
- Typically, biologists watch animals in person or by picking up DNA from animals’ tracks or faeces, which requires significant fieldwork.
- It can be useful for tracing the flight paths of migrating birds that travel great distances. It can also collect DNA from insects and other tiny animals.
Source—https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/science-technology/environmental-dna-based-assay-to-detect-invasive-catfish-in-waterbodies-86061