Description

There is interest in querying some surface water bodies as to the presence of certain organisms. Perhaps an invasive species has been noted and one wants to determine its presence. Surface water bodies such a ponds, streams and lakes can be sampled using Waterra eDNA filters by pumping water from that body through the filter. DNA in the water is captured by the filter and can be preserved for extraction in a laboratory setting.

The “e” in eDNA stands for Environmental and “DNA” is Deoxyribonucleic Acid, well known to be the building block of life. DNA is contained in every living organism’s cells and is shed into the environment in many ways. The organism may live or lived in the water body or catchment area, was passing through or was transported in. Irrespective of how it got there, if it is in the water there is a chance that the DNA could be in the water sample processed through the eDNA filter.

An advantage of using Waterra eDNA filters is that the large surface area of the filter (either 300 cm² or 600 cm²) allows large volumes of water to be run through. Samples up to 100 litres or more, depending on the turbidity of the water increase the odds of capturing eDNA of the target species. Processing large samples becomes challenging unless one uses a pump.

Waterra eDNA Filters are manufactured  in our clean room facility in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Each filter is individually bagged with two end caps to contain a buffer for sample preservation. Filter media is available in 5 different pore sizes from 0.1 to 5 micron and offered in 300 and 600 square centimetre formats.

Contact Information

Michael Novak
Email: m.novak@waterra.com
Phone: (403) 238-0022