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    Fish + Vertebrates (freshwater)

    Fish + Vertebrates (freshwater)

    AQ-A-FF-FV

    Includes a hand-operated syringe, to push water through the kit’s filter. The filter collects and stores your eDNA.

    Looking to work with a powered pump, such as a Vampire Sampler? Please select instead the ‘pump’ version of this kit from the freshwater collection.

    What do I receive?

    For each product purchased, you will receive:

    • One sampling kit, to collect / store / transport your eDNA
    • One report per test ('assay')

    Regional considerations

    Please note: The ‘Bivalves (excl. Unionid mussels)’ and ‘Unionid mussels’ tests are designed for use in the UK. They can be used outside of the UK, but we have less information on what they will detect. All other freshwater tests can be used in freshwater systems across the globe.

    Kit instructions

    Kit instructions available here.

    £485.00 GBP
    £485.00 GBP
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    Product info

    All items in an order will be processed and reported together. If you need some items to be reported separately, please place multiple orders.

    All items in an order can be shipped to only one location. If some items need to be shipped to a different location, please place a separate order for these items. (These items will be reported separately, as they are part of a separate order.)

    Kit contents

    eDNA collection, storage and safe transport. Your kit contains all you need to collect*, store and safely transport your eDNA sample.
    (*Our tissue kits do not include the nets or traps you may wish to use to catch the organisms the kit is designed to contain.)

    Preservation buffer (which helps to preserve and protect the eDNA).

    One pair of gloves. If two or more people are using one kit, please purchase more sets of gloves (not available from NatureMetrics).

    Sterile bags for transporting your samples.

    For more info on all our kits, visit our kits page.

    Reports

    For each test purchased, you will receive one report.

    e.g. if you buy x5 ‘vertebrate + fish (freshwater)’, you will receive two reports, one with all the vertebrate results from the 5 samples, and another, separate report, for all the fish results from the 5 samples.

    Reporting formats for multi-species tests and single-species tests are very different.
    For more info on reports, and to see examples of each, please visit our reports page.

    Important info

    One kit = one sample = one location. Kits can be used in one location only. Only one single latitude / longitude can be assigned to each kit.

    Kits must be used within 12 months of purchase. After 12 months the preservation buffer can degrade. If you have aquatic kits, you can purchase replacement preservation buffer from us (not available from this store). To purchase, please contact us.

    Freshwater tests - key info:

    Vertebrates

    Detects fish, amphibians and mammals, generally to species level. Some closely related fish species, such as perch and zander cannot be separated.

    Terrestrial mammal eDNA can often end up in nearby water courses, so this test can have the added benefit of delivering detections for some terrestrial vertebrates.

    Results are often comprised of a high percentage of fish species (especially ray-finned fish, Actinopterygii) and can include marine mammals, and high (family) level identification for some bird species.

    Birds and reptiles can be detected, but this test should not be relied upon as a comprehensive test for these groups.

    Fish

    Optimised for ray-finned fish (Actinopterygii) such as tuna, seahorses, gobies, cichlids, flatfish, wrasse, perch, anglerfish and pufferfish.

    This test does not perform as well for detecting sharks and rays.

    In some cases, this test does not provide species level data, e.g. river lamprey and brook lamprey; ide and dace.

    Mammals

    Detects aquatic and semi-aquatic mammals, and many terrestrial mammals who have visited the water or are nearby – as terrestrial mammal eDNA can often end up in nearby water courses, via runoff.

    Detection of terrestrial species can be sporadic as they are less likely to contact water and deposit eDNA. Detection of terrestrial species is dependent on the species either directly interacting with water and/or their eDNA being transported from other waterbodies/via runoff.

    Insects

    Detects mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies, beetles, mussels and other invertebrates and insects. Particularly useful for detecting chironomid flies (non-biting midges) which are used in many parts of the world to monitor freshwater health.

    Identifies many taxa to species level that are otherwise difficult to disambiguate (e.g. chironomids).

    Detects many species that are important indicators of water quality.

    Designed for arthropods, this test carries a bias towards soft-bodied taxa (e.g. Diptera spp.) over hard-bodied taxa (e.g. Coleoptera spp.).

    Unionid mussels

    Used to identify mussels in the family Unionidae, which includes the endangered freshwater pearl mussel.

    Designed for use in the UK. Can be used outside of the UK, but we have less information on what it can detect.

    Bivalves (excl. Unionid mussels)

    Used to identify mussels in the family Veneridae, and can detect presence of zebra mussels, quagga mussels, and Asian clams.

    Designed for use in the UK. Can be used outside of the UK, but we have less information on what it can detect.

    Invertebrates (from tissue samples)

    Groups detected include arthropods, invertebrates, mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies, beetles, chironomid flies (non-biting midges) and others.

    Species detected are important indicators of water quality.

    Detects freshwater invertebrate species collected by multiple sampling methods, e.g. kick-net sampling.

    Tissue must be larger than 0.3mm (300um).