Establishing a Reference Genetic Database for Threatened Amphibian species/populations to inform a monitoring program

Environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys offer a simple, non-invasive and highly sensitive sampling technique that makes it amenable to surveying species that are cryptic, endangered or otherwise difficult to detect.
There are various methodological issues that first need to be addressed to ensure DNA collected from the environment can be successfully amplified and accurately identified back to the species of origin. Both the primer selection and accurate identification require a comprehensive reference DNA database that is appropriately validated. To ensure eDNA surveys can generate sensitive and accurate detection of amphibians in NSW, extensive work is required to build up a genetic reference library. We propose to focus on the full list of 29 threatened frog species that have been identified through the High Ecological Value Aquatic Ecosystems to inform the water sharing plan.

We intend to generate a reference library across four gene regions to enable primer design and robust identification of all 29 amphibian species based on their genetic sequence.