Development and Testing of Molecular Resources for the Detection of Freshwater Mussels using Environmental DNA

This project is investigating the use of eDNA (environmental DNA) as a sampling tool for freshwater mussel conservation using specially designed primers. These primers were designed using Sliding Window Analysis and tested on representatives from each of the major mussel tribes being studied. The primers were then tested individually for effectiveness, on a thermal gradient to determine the best annealing temperature, and for cross amplification against other species. Our hope is that in the future this can become a useful technique for detecting freshwater mussels, many of which are endangered or threatened