I am a third-year post-doc specialised in the study of invasive non-native fish species and their impacts in fresh waters. Freshwater ecosystems (wetlands, rivers, and lakes) are experiencing a dramatic decline in biodiversity and biological invasions (the human-driven introduction, establishment and spread of non-native organisms) are indeed one of the main triggers.
A recent focus of my research activity is on the European catfish, Silurus glanis L. This Eurasian catfish is the biggest freshwater fish in Europe (it can reach up to 3 meters in length) and it is invasive in western and southern Europe where it is threatening biodiversity through its top-predator appetite. Within a recent project funded by the European commission under the Life Programme (LIFE21-NAT-IT- PREDATOR), I will apply eDNA to monitor the presence (and its abundance) of the catfish in lakes and reservoirs where the species is thriving, but limited information is available. At the same time, I will use eDNA also to monitor the whole lacustrine communities in relation to the presence of the catfish and its reduction following control/eradication activities.
Figure 1. Different lentic systems where eDNA will be collected, project logo, and a couple of cute catfish (photo of the catfish: © Mattia Nocciola)
Since I am going to collect and process eDNA in up to 50 lakes and reservoirs, apart from using these data for the above-mentioned objectives, I am seeking other possible use of these samples through the application of other approaches such as population genomics. For this reason, I am very grateful to the eDNA Collaborative as with the microgrant they granted me, I was able to attend an enlightening course on model-based demographic inference from population genomics last July.