Crayfish and dragonflies in rural areas of Vienna and the potential of DNA barcoding methods for their detection and management
This study is a research and management project on dragonflies and autochthonous and invasive crayfish, which assesses the potential of DNA barcoding methods for detection of these species in waterbodies of the rural areas of Vienna. The focus is on the detection of crustacean and dragonfly species using eDNA barcoding (environmental DNA). This method has been developed to detect species by their DNA traces in water bodies.
The already established DNA barcoding methods for dragonflies (eDNA; DNA barcoding of exuviae) will be refined for application-oriented use in order to test their applicability for ecological assessments and the monitoring of FFH species. The collected data will be used for evaluating the ecological status of the investigated waterbodies.
In the project part that concerns the crayfish, eDNA barcoding will be established for the detection of native and invasive crayfish species. Invasive crayfish species are (potential) carriers of the crayfish plague (Aphanomyces astaci) and pose a threat to autochthonous species due to their increasing dispersal. This study will create the basis to evaluate the method for the detection of crayfish in comparison to traditional sampling methods.
The investigation of streams with syntopic occurrence of crayfish and the FFH dragonfly species Cordulegaster heros (Balkan Goldenring) will allow to analyse the influence of crayfish on Cordulegaster heros populations.
Hence, the project will provide important information on the ecological status of Vienna’s waterbodies and help to evaluate classical field methods in comparison to eDNA barcoding. The results of the study will also form the basis for further management measures.

Project leader
Priv.-Doz. Dr. Elisabeth Haring
Natural History Museum Vienna, Central Research Laboratories

Team
Iris Fischer, MSc.
Natural History Museum Vienna
Victoria Pail, BSc.
Natural History Museum Vienna
Doz. Mag. Dr. Andreas Chovanec
Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism
Dr. Nikolaus Szucsich
Natural History Museum Vienna
Dr. Martin Schwentner
Natural History Museum Vienna
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna:
Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Anne Hartmann
Dr. Lisa Schülting, MSc.
Dipl.-Ing. Florian Dossi
Project status: completed
The project is funded by the Muncipal Department for water management (MA45) and the European Union within the Austrian Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.
Subscribe to our ABOL news
Latest News
9th ABOL meeting 2022 – a retrospect24. November, 2022 - 13:24
After 2 years of virtual conferences, we were very happy to be able to hold the ABOL annual conference physically again this year. On November 18th the time had come. The 9th ABOL conference took place in the Haus für Natur, Museum Niederösterreich, after the 5th Austrian Biodiversity Forum. As usual, the lecture program was […]
ABOL goes Zambia14. November, 2022 - 23:43
DNA barcoding workshop at the University of Zambia In early October, ABOL held a DNA barcoding workshop at the University of Zambia (UNZA) in Lusaka together with Prof. Cyprian Katongo. The workshop – as part of the OeAD cooperation development research project “DNA barcoding of Zambia’s biodiversity” (led by the University of Graz) – […]
ABOL BioBlitz in the National Park Hohe Tauern3. August, 2022 - 15:02
Once again this year, the Biodiversity Day in the National Park Hohe Tauern was not accompanied by good weather. With gusts of wind, cold, rain and occasional windows of sunshine, dedicated experts collected biodiversity data again last weekend – this year in the Carinthian part of the National Park in the Maltatal. The high altitudes […]