Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the North Atlantic Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research collecting and analyzing environmental DNA (eDNA) samples to evaluate the efficacy of detecting small populations of Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB; Oryctes rhinoceros) in the Hawaiian Islands. The research will involve sampling environmental DNA from the trunks of palm trees, providing a rigorous test of an emerging technology. The CESU partner is expected to co-develop a sampling design and site selection in collaboration with USGS scientists, with the aim of evaluating the probability of detection via eDNA in locations where CRB populations are small, such as the limit of the known range. This study may also assess how detection probability is affected by distance from a pheromone lure, by sampling eDNA from trunks of palm trees at a variety of distances from a lure-based trap. The CESU partner is expected to conduct field sampling and subsequently run laboratory assays, including technical replicates, to test for presence of the focal species" DNA. This work is being developed to inform the design of monitoring programs, including Department of War (DoW) biosecurity programs and port monitoring programs. The CESU partner will collaborate with USGS scientists as the data are analyzed and interpreted. The CESU partner may collaborate on work related to biosecurity and biosurveillance, as determined by available funding and interest.