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Diurnal detection of environmental DNA of the semi-aquatic water shrew Chimarrogale platycephala using 25-h water sampling in streams

  • Special Feature: Original Paper
  • Environmental DNA as a Practical Tool for Aquatic Conservation and Restoration
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Abstract

Whether environmental DNA (eDNA) testing methods are effective for semi-aquatic organisms that spend time both in rivers and on land remains unclear. We designed a species-specific primer–probe set for the semi-aquatic Japanese water shrew, Chimarrogale platycephala, an endangered top predator species for which limited ecological information is available. The designed primer–probe set was used to determine the effective sampling time for detecting eDNA from this species in running water. Hourly water sampling was conducted for 25 h in the autumn of 2020. Water sampling and camera trapping were conducted in the two streams in which feces had been observed on stream rocks. No C. platycephala activity was captured by the camera traps at any sampling point during the investigation. However, eDNA was mainly detected at night in both streams and twice during the daytime in one stream; the eDNA detection periods differed between streams (21:00–23:00 vs. 1:00–8:00 and daytime). These results demonstrate that eDNA testing methods are effective for detecting small semi-aquatic mammals. However, the sampling time affected the results, and eDNA was mostly detected at night, possibly because of the nocturnal activity of the species. Therefore, the sampling time should be adjusted to match the activity period of a species to improve the efficiency of eDNA testing for semi-aquatic organisms.

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Acknowledgements

The present study was supported in part by JSPS KAKENHI Grants (15K00596 and 18K11678) to I.K. and by the Sasakawa Kagaku Research Grant (2021-5033) and JST SPRING, Grant No. JPMJSP2115 to N.S.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences, Nara Women’s University, Kitauoya Higashimachi, Nara, 630-8506, Japan

    Nao Shiozuka

  2. Faculty, Division of Natural Science, Nara Women’s University, Kitauoya Higashimachi, Nara, 630-8506, Japan

    Izumi Katano

  3. KYOUSEI Science Center, Nara Women’s University, Kitauoya Higashimachi, Nara, 630-8506, Japan

    Izumi Katano

  4. Graduate School of Information Science, University of Hyogo, 7-1-28 Minatojima Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Japan

    Hideyuki Doi

  5. Institute of Environmental Ecology, IDEA Consultants, Inc., 1334-5 Riemon, Yaizu, Shizuoka, 421-0212, Japan

    Masatoshi Nakamura & Tomoyasu Shirako

  6. Laboratory for Watershed Disaster Resilience, Prefectural University of Kumamoto, 3-1-100, Tsukide, Higashi-ku, Kumamoto, 862-8502, Japan

    Hidetaka Ichiyanagi

  7. Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1, Kurokami, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-8555, Japan

    Hidetaka Ichiyanagi

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  1. Nao Shiozuka
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  2. Izumi Katano
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  4. Masatoshi Nakamura
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by MN, TS and HI, NS and IK, IK and HD, respectively. The first draft of the manuscript was written by IK and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Izumi Katano.

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Conflict of interest

The commercial affiliations of the authors [MN and TS] did not alter our adherence to the journal policies on the sharing of data and materials. MN and TS are employed by the company serving environmental assessments. However, none of the authors directly benefit financially from publication of this paper.

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Shiozuka, N., Katano, I., Doi, H. et al. Diurnal detection of environmental DNA of the semi-aquatic water shrew Chimarrogale platycephala using 25-h water sampling in streams. Landscape Ecol Eng 19, 69–77 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-022-00526-6

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