Lake Census (eDNA Community Survey)

Overview

What problem does this solve for our lake?

• Most lake communities know their lake through what people catch, see, and remember. That knowledge is real but it is biased toward large, visible, daytime, shoreline organisms — and it is systematically blind to exactly the things that matter earliest.
• An invasive species is cheapest to manage in the window between arrival and establishment, and that window is precisely when nobody can see it. Zebra mussel veligers, starry stonewort fragments, and juvenile carp are invisible to a homeowner on a dock. Genetic material from all of them is not.
• What eDNA gives you:
• A broad species inventory from a sample any volunteer can collect, comparable year over year because the method does not depend on who collected it
• Early detection of invasives before visual confirmation, which is the entire economic argument for running it
• Evidence of native and desirable species — a documented fishery and a documented native plant community, which is the record you want before anyone proposes a project on your lake
• A biological baseline that costs a fraction of a traditional survey
• What eDNA does not give you, stated plainly:
• Abundance. A detection means genetic material was present, not how many organisms there are.
• Certainty of absence. A non-detect means the assay did not find it in that sample at that place and time. It is not proof the species is absent.
• Complete coverage. Metabarcoding identifies what matches a reference library. Species with poor reference coverage may be reported only to genus or family.
• Proof of a living local population. DNA persists for days to weeks and travels. A detection can come from a dead organism, a bird's feet, or water that flowed in from upstream. If you need to know whether something is alive and here, that is eRNA.

What's included?

• Three (3) complete eDNA sampling kits — the minimum order, allowing discrete samples from three targeted locations
• All materials required for clean, contamination-free sample collection, including encapsulated filters and preservation buffer
• Step-by-step collection and preservation instructions, also printed on each sample bag
• Shipping to our partner genomics laboratory, with full chain of custody
• Laboratory analysis by eDNA metabarcoding across a broad range of organisms
• An interactive online sample report for each of the three samples, including a taxon table and a shareable visual summary of the biological community
• Your raw sequence files (FASTQ), yours to keep, archived and available for reprocessing later
• Note on methodology: eDNA metabarcoding does not run an EPA-approved method. It is a screening and survey tool, and results are not suitable for regulatory or compliance use.

What's not included

• Sample collection. You collect the samples; we supply everything you need to do it correctly.
• Single samples. Three is the minimum order — one sample is not a survey.
• Boat, dock, or shoreline access to your three sampling sites
• Abundance or population estimates. Results are presence of genetic material, not counts.
• Maximum sensitivity for a single species. Looking for one named invasive? Species Watch is built for that question.
• Confirmation that a detection represents a living, active population. That is what Live Census and Live Watch are for.
• Chemistry of any kind, or cyanotoxin measurement
• Regulatory or compliance determinations, including official invasive-species reporting. If you get a detection that matters, your state agency has its own confirmation protocol.

Requirements

• Gloves worn for every sample, and a fresh filter per site — cross-contamination is the main way an eDNA sample is spoiled
• Roughly 1 litre pushed through each filter, or until the filter clogs, whichever comes first
• Three genuinely different locations. Three samples from the same bay answer one question three times.
• Coordinates and site details recorded for each sample, and the online submission form completed
• A printed, signed chain of custody form sent with the samples
• Samples kept out of direct sunlight and heat before shipping, though refrigeration is not required
• A Plus, Lake Admin, or PRO subscription to have results loaded into your Lake Pulse account
• Questions about site selection, timing, or which genetic test fits your lake? Contact the Lake Pulse Boathouse before you order.