Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Great Lakes Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

The summary for the Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Great Lakes Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Geological Survey, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Great Lakes Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit: The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research in point of use environmental DNA tools for points of entry, in support of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act), P.L. 117-58. One of the most effective action in invasive species management is to prevent initial introductions or to prevent spread into additional areas. Surveillance for invasive species at points of entry is an important way to limit this spread yet recognizing presence of invasives in shipments or other modes of transport can be challenging. In many cases, invasives may be difficult to detect visually or identify to species. Environmental DNA methods have potential to improve surveillance at points of entry assuming some key conditions are met. These conditions include eDNA assays that can be deployed in the field, provide rapid results, and be able to be easily and consistently implemented by personnel without laboratory experience. Currently there do not exist rapid eDNA assays that are widely used at federal and state points of entry. However, recent work with lyophilized LAMP assays have shown promise to implement eDNA assays in field environments, with assays developed for invasive carp and dreissenid mussels that have been used on bait tanks and imported moss balls, respectively. This initial work has demonstrated the promise of isothermal eDNA detection approaches and can be deployed completely at the point of entry. Despite this, questions remain regarding the most efficient and sensitive methods for isolating and amplifying eDNA, and this likely varies depending on the sample template (water, plant, soil, etc.). Even if a method does not require laboratory equipment, it may not meet all personnel's standards for ease of implementation and time for sample preparation. Ultimately, a highly sensitive one-tube collection and amplification approach would provide the greatest utility and facilitate the use of eDNA at ports of entry. Any method would require validation using known isothermal assays already developed for invasive species.