A master’s thesis on a 12s Environmental (eDNA) Assessment of and the Establishment of a 12s, 16s, and COI Genetic Reference Library for, Neotropical Freshwater Fishes of Western Ecuador
Study Region:
The Guayas River Basin is a low elevation flood plain in Western Ecuador. The region is characterized by high levels of freshwater fish endemism (34%; Jiménez-Prado and Valdiviezo-Rivera, 2021), many of which contribute to the greater 40% of freshwater fish biodiversity that resides in the neotropics (Sales et al., 2021.)
Integrated Fields of Research
Conservation Biology, Molecular Ecology, Evolutionary Biology
Project Duration
1 Year – Project Development and Field Preparation, 1 Month – Field Sampling, 1 Year – Data Analyses and Manuscript Construction
12s Environmental DNA (eDNA) Metabarcoding
Establishment of a genetic reference library for all freshwater fish species of Western Ecuador at three loci: 12s, 16s, and COI. This library will be paired with a bioinformatic pipeline for taxonomic analysis.
5 Rivers in Western Ecuador, 5 Target Taxa; Vast Data Pool for Future Analyses in Human Health, Fishery and Wildlife Conservation Management, and Ecological Survey Applications
Quick Links: Literature Cited
Jiménez-Prado, Pedro Jorge, and Jonathan Valdiviezo-Rivera. “Libro diversidad de peces en Ecuador.” Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador Sede Esmeraldas, Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (June 2021): ISBN 978-9942-40-154-0. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352061586_LIBRO_DIVERSIDAD_DE_PECES_EN_ECUADOR
Sales, Naiara Guimarães, Owen Simon Wangensteen, Daniel Cardoso Carvalho, Kristy Deiner, Kim Præbel, Ilaria Coscia, Allan D. McDevitt, and Stefano Mariani. “Space-Time Dynamics in Monitoring Neotropical Fish Communities Using EDNA Metabarcoding.” Science of The Total Environment 754 (February 2021): 142096. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142096.
Poster Presentation | DePaul University Graduate Student Showcase 2022
Compassion Crossing 