Environmental DNA and RNA data at University of Waterloo Laboratory & Bauman Creek

Fieldwork (Bauman Creek, Cambridge, ON) - Data was collected in four sections of the creek (uncovered, wooded/shaded, brook trout only, and no fish) in three seasons summer (July 2018), fall/winter (November 2018), spring (May 2019). Water chemistry measurements with a YSI multimeter (pH, temperature, suspended solids, dissolved oxygen, conductivity) were collected. One litre water samples were collected and DNA and RNA will be extracted from the water. Fish weights, lengths, IDs were also collected alongside the water samples. To identify and quantify DNA and RNA, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), reverse transcription-qPCR (RT-qPCR), or sequencing will occur. DNA will be used to identify the fish species, RNA will be used to identify the health of the fish.
Experimental tanks will be set up with one of three trout species (brook, brown, or rainbow) in control or treatment (+5C, 60% dissolved oxygen or both) tanks in the lab (Dr. Paul Craig Lab, University of Waterloo). Water chemistry measurements with a YSI multimeter (pH, temperature, suspended solids, dissolved oxygen, conductivity) will be collected. One litre water samples will be collected weekly and tissue will be collected at the end of the 21 day experiment. DNA and RNA will be extracted from the water, and RNA will be extracted from the tissue. To identify and quantify DNA and RNA, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), reverse transcription-qPCR (RT-qPCR), or sequencing will occur.

This research aims to study the effects of climate change stressors (temperature & hypoxia) on the rates of shedding and degradation of environmental DNA of brook, brown, and rainbow trout (Salvelinus fontinalis, Salmo trutta, and Oncorhynchus mykiss). Additionally, microRNA will be collected from the water to determine if there is a link between fish stress levels and changes in microRNA present in the aquatic environment. This data set is collected for the Pillar 3 project titled "Next Generation Solutions to Ensure Healthy Water Resources for Future Generations", under the Global Water Futures Program funded by Canada First Research Excellence Fund. This researcher is co-supervised by Drs. Barbara Katzenback and Paul Craig.

Servos, M., Ikert, H., Katzenback, B., Lynch, M., Giesy, J., & Craig, P. (2019). Environmental DNA and RNA data at University of Waterloo Laboratory & Bauman Creek. Waterloo, Canada: Canadian Cryospheric Information Network (CCIN). (Under review).