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DNA data acceptance criteria for biological assessments: Starting the conversation
Citation:
Bagley, M., J. Darling, E. Pilgrim, AND R. Mitchell. DNA data acceptance criteria for biological assessments: Starting the conversation. 2021 North American Lake Management Society National Monitoring Conference, Virtual, April 19 - 23, 2021.
Impact/Purpose:
There is strong interest in incorporating DNA methods into biological assessments of aquatic ecological condition performed by EPA and others. At present, there are no clear standards for what are acceptable data standards for inclusion in government reporting. This presentation provides some initial perspectives prior to a workshop panel involving EPA, other state and federal agencies, and international partners aiming to begin a conversation on developing standards for DNA data acceptance.
Description:
DNA metabarcoding and other nucleic acid-based measurements of community composition provide new and powerful data to inform ecological condition assessments. However, acceptance and integration of DNA methods into biological assessments is hindered by a lack of agreed upon methodological and data quality standards. Development of prescribed methods is not likely to be useful because molecular technologies and associated bioinformatic approaches are diverse and rapidly changing. The best platforms for future assessments of biological communities may be based on next generation sequencing, microfluidic high-density qPCR arrays, or new technologies not yet on the market. Therefore, development of minimum quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) standards that accommodate different technologies will be needed. Here, we discuss perspectives on these standards based on familiarity with EPA bioassessment programs. This presentation is a preliminary perspective preceding a multi-agency panel discussion on the topic.
