FeDNA Technique: Environmental Monitoring for the Klamath River Dam Removal

In 2023-2024, four dams were removed from the Klamath River restoring access to 400 miles of free-flowing river. Before the dams were demolished, a team of Molecular Ecologists sampled the system to establish a baseline of DNA so we could monitor population changes in response to restoration actions. Using the Klamath River restoration as a backdrop, Cheryl will examine the use of molecular ecology as a tool to monitor system-wide habitat change. Cheryl will give a brief history describing how changes to the tools used by geneticists to visualize DNA have allowed us to “see” all species (bacteria, fungi, plants, animals) living within a stream from a water sample.

Speaker: Dr. Cheryl Dean