Developing Real Time Quantitative PCR for Rapid and Reliable Identification of Cryptic Aquatic Species

The sophistication, power, and cost-effectiveness of genetic techniques have improved dramatically in the last decade. One of the most recent and powerful techniques is known as quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR). This powerful technique is used to amplify and simultaneously quantify a targeted DNA molecule. Using genetic markers or DNA barcodes, qPCR assays can be designed to amplify the DNA of a target species. With qPCR it is possible to not only identify the presence (or absence) of genes unique to target species, but to quantify the relative biomass of target organisms within a sample. The sensitivity and specificity of qPCR make it ideally suited for the detection of cryptic aquatic species such as chytrid fungus, zebra quagga mussels and larval delta smelt from within a variety of sample types.