Full title: next-generation monitoring: satellite remote sensing and EDNA integration for the early detection and management of aquatic invasive plants in the upper mississippi basinproject period:…

This Project Grant award of $689,092.00 from the U.S. Geological Survey's Assistance to State Water Resources Research Institutes (CFDA 15.805) program aims to develop an integrative approach combining remote sensing and environmental DNA (eDNA) for early detection and management of aquatic invasive plants in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. The research team at Oklahoma State University will employ a multiscale approach, starting with experimental work at the plant level and expanding to catchment-scale surveys, to calibrate a remote-sensing-informed eDNA protocol. The goal is to provide cost-effective tools for better monitoring and managing aquatic invasive plant species in the region. The award period runs from January 30, 2025 through January 29, 2028.

Activities

The researchers will employ a multiscale approach, starting with experimental work at the plant level and expanding to catchment-scale surveys, to develop a remote-sensing-informed edna protocol for early detection and management of aquatic invasive plants. In the first year, a mesocosm experiment will provide critical information on how plant biomass and phenology affect edna detection probabilities. This data will calibrate a field survey to analyze the agreement between remote sensing and edna detection probabilities over a growing season. Ultimately, insights from these small-scale experiments will inform a comprehensive monitoring protocol at the catchment scale. To effectively transfer the results to stakeholders and researchers, the researchers will organize a workshop within the USGS- supported communities of practice. Additionally, the researchers will collaborate with university extension specialists to create publicly available fact sheets, facilitating the transition of the results into actionable management outcomes. Deliverables and expected outcomes: specific products from this research include multi-band spectral data for the three aquatic invasive plant species at different spatial scales, collected over multiple seasons a series of models utilizing species-specific spectral signals to identify plant species from remotely sensed data data on edna production rates under controlled and natural conditions for the three target aquatic invasive plants (AIPS), analyzed through phenological trajectories a detailed framework that optimizes the timing of edna collection with satellite imagery for early detection and monitoring of the three target AIPS a workshop for technology transfer with USGS scientists at least three peer-reviewed publications fact sheets geared towards stakeholders and multidisciplinary training for two PHD students.

Intended beneficiaries

This research project will benefit resource managers and basin stakeholders by providing an innovative and integrative protocol for the early detection and management of aquatic invasive plant species. IT will offer crucial information on species targeted by the rapid environmental (E)DNA assessment and deployment initiative network, improving the ability to monitor and control these invasive species effectively.

Subrecipient activities

N A