Primer designs for identification and eDNA detection of gars (Lepisosteidae)

AbstractGars (family Lepisosteidae) serve important roles as apex predators in freshwater ecosystems., helping to balance fish populations. Several gar species are exploited as food and game fish, and some species are classified as vulnerable due to habitat loss. New molecular techniques to detect, monitor, and identify environmental DNA from gars might help inform management and conservation efforts for these interesting fish. Therefore the goal of this project was to develop and test PCR primers for gars, using specimens of all seven gar species, which are on exhibit at the Belle Isle Aquarium in Detroit, Michigan. Focusing on the mitochondrial gene for cytochrome oxidase I (COI), we first designed primers to amplify DNA from all species of gars (“universal gar primers”) and confirmed their specificity in silico. These primers amplified DNA from all seven species, and species identities were confirmed by sequencing the PCR products. Only one of three ostensible Shortnose Gar Lepisosteus platostomus spec...