Bigheaded carps are invasive fishes threatening to invade the Great Lakes basin and establish spawning populations, and have been monitored using environmental DNA (eDNA). Not only does eDNA hold potential for detecting the presence of species, but may also allow for quantitative comparisons like relative abundance of species across time or space. We examined the relationships among bigheaded carp movement, hydrography, spawning and eDNA on the Wabash River, IN, USA. We found positive relationships between eDNA and movement and eDNA and hydrography. We did not find a relationship between eDNA and spawning activity in the form of drifting eggs. Our first finding demonstrates how eDNA may be used to monitor species abundance, whereas our second finding illustrates the need for additional research into eDNA methodologies. Current applications of eDNA are widespread, but the relatively new technology requires further refinement.

中文翻译：

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用环境DNA检测big鱼的运动和产卵活性。

head鱼是入侵性鱼类，威胁要入侵大湖流域并建立产卵种群，并且已经使用环境DNA（eDNA）进行了监测。eDNA不仅具有检测物种存在的潜力，而且还可以进行定量比较，例如跨时间或空间的物种相对丰度。我们检查了美国印第安纳州瓦巴什河上big鱼运动，水文，产卵和eDNA之间的关系。我们发现eDNA与运动以及eDNA与水文学之间存在正相关关系。我们没有发现eDNA与产卵形式的产卵活性之间的关系。我们的第一个发现证明了如何使用eDNA来监测物种的丰度，而我们的第二个发现表明了对eDNA方法学进行进一步研究的必要性。