Reflection on Study Design
One of the most important take-aways for me from our group discussion this week is this: know your study organism in and out. I feel that it is often easy to get bogged down in the technical aspects of research, from sampling protocols to site selection, and lose sight of the significant nuances in behaviors and life histories of our study species. Reading Souza et al. (2016) was a refreshing wake up call to how a thorough understanding of our species can greatly aid in developing survey designs, saving us both time, money, and frustration. This paper demonstrated how explorative experiments that assess the quality of data collection in the context of season or life history stage can strengthen eDNA survey design.
Another point that I hadn’t considered before (being new to the world of eDNA) was that life history stage could affect the detection rate of eDNA. This is incredibly important information, particularly when considering methods for detecting invasive crustacean species, like the European green crab. Although eDNA is an incredibly powerful tool, studies like Souza et al. (2016) or the green crab study are essential for determing if, when, or how researchers should apply it as a method.