This page publishes joint research which has been conducted by the River Restoration Team of the PWRI.
CORROBORATION RESEARCH
Corroboration studies on environmental DNA application techniques in river and lakes.
Research periods: From March 2018 until March 2021
Environmental DNA analysis, which extracts DNA from water samples in rivers and lakes, seems to expand from the research level to practical river management level. To apply this technique to environmental surveys in practical river management, plans corresponding to physical environments at study sites and the purposes of surveys should be drafted. Therefore, RRTs conduct corroboration research with four private companies, which participate through public subscriptions and aim to apply environmental DNA to practical river environment management.
2020/10/27 interim report of joint research on technologies for using environmental DNA in rivers and lakes
In less than 5 years since environmental DNA technologies were first introduced, they seem to be heading from the research stage to the application stage. The eDNA Society’s publication of the eDNA Survey and Experiment Manual in April 2019 helped more people become involved with environmental DNA. Of course, if we assume that the environmental surveys conducted for river management can be considered as a development towards practical operations, there are remaining issues that need to be resolved. Of these, the PWRI has been conducting joint research with four private consultants since 2018 to conceptualize a survey planning method on technologies for using environmental DNA in rivers and lakes. In this research, we established themes (survey objectives) for brackish waters, downstream, mid-upper stream, and dam reservoirs as target areas for investigations. We also have discussions among a wide range of members, including those from the Kanto Technical Office of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and related foundations, sharing with them information and issues revealed by our basic experiments and field surveys. A summary of activities conducted so far has been published as an interim report.
| “Examination of efficient sampling methods in brackish waters and the downstream of rivers”(document) | ECOH Co., Ltd. |
|---|---|
| “Examples of basic research for use of environmental DNA in dead water regions”(document) | OYO Corporation Co., Ltd. |
| “Understanding dynamics of ayu larvae using environmental DNA”(document) | CTI Engineering Co., Ltd. |
| “Optimization of the sample-water amount in analyses of environmental DNA and examination of phase evaluations of fish in small- and medium-sized rivers”(document) | Pacific Consultants Co., Ltd. |
