eDNA - a powerful technology for wetland ecology

Shift by Alberta Innovates

We all know what DNA is but what is eDNA?
Described as another tool in the toolbox for wetland ecologists, we find out in this episode's conversation with Jenet Dooley from the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute and Brian Eaton from InnoTech Alberta's Environmental Impacts team, it's more than that. It's an emerging technology that at its most basic level it's a process and technology for detecting animal species; but it's also the means to more effectively collect and contribute to a vast library of the DNA of the varied animals, elusive and common, that inhabit Alberta's wetlands.
As with most emerging technologies, all of the eDNA applications have yet to be determined. It's up to the entrepreneurs out there to see how it can be used!
Bios
Jenet Dooley
Jenet has been the Wetland Ecologist at the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute since February 2019. Prior to working at ABMI, she worked as a consultant applying the Alberta Wetland Policy. She periodically teaches Freshwater Ecology and Management at the University of Alberta Augustana campus. She earned her doctorate at the University of Florida in 2016 and has a bachelors of environmental engineering from Miami University in Ohio. Her graduate studies focused on wetland ecology and the relationship between noise and land use intensity.
Brian Eaton
Brian is an ecologist with research experience in terrestrial and aquatic systems, examining pure and applied questions across a wide array of taxa. He has 25+ years of experience in applied ecological research, including studies in oil and gas, forestry, and agricultural systems. Brian has worked in a variety of experimental venues, from aquaria to large-scale mesocosms to purely field-based research, including wetlands, lakes, streams, rivers, and a variety of terrestrial habitats. Most recently, Brian and his colleagues have been exploring the use of environmental DNA to detect species – including fish, amphibians, semi-aquatic mammals, and invertebrates - in aquatic systems in Alberta. Brian manages the Environmental Impacts Team at InnoTech Alberta.
Learn more by reading the CBC article on the elusive tiger salamander.
Shift by Alberta Innovates focuses on the people, businesses and organizations that are contributing to Alberta's strong tech ecosystem.