Developing Real Time Quanitative PCR for Rapid and Reliable Indentification of Cryptic Aquatic Species

Quantitative Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) is a relatively new technique that is rapidly gaining popularity in the fisheries biology community for its ability to simultaneously detect  and quantify the DNA of target species. QPCR is a standard technique used in biomedical research for the past decade that combines specificity, sensitivity and efficiency. The specificity and sensitivity of qPCR will allow for the detection of minute amounts of Bay Delta species, such as larval delta smelt, that were previously difficult or impossible to detect . In addition qPCR allows us to quantify the relative biomass of targeted species with greater accuracy and efficiency than traditional visual methods. This combination of attributes makes qPCR ideally suited for use  by fisheries biologists as a powerful new tool that can replace or compliment visual identification of species in current Sacramento San Joaquin Bay Delta monitoring programs.