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Raelene Sappor receives the KRISP and Hofmeyer-Val Schaik Award for the best honours student in genetics at UKZN

SAAMBR - The South African Association for Marine Biological Research

Helping people to care for our ocean

发布日期: 2024年5月28日

Last week Raelene Sappor received the KRISP and Hofmeyer-Val Schaik Award for the best honours student in genetics at UKZN and we couldn't be prouder.

Raelene completed her BSc Honours in Genetics under the supervision of ORI's molecular ecologist Dr Ashrenee Govender. The Snorkel Lagoon exhibit at uShaka Sea World provided the ideal setting for Raelene to undertake the practical component of her study which focussed on environmental DNA (eDNA).

Raelene's study aimed to uncover the identities of the fish inhabiting the Snorkel Lagoon tank without resorting to the traditional method of physically capturing them.

Instead, she collected water samples from different sections of the exhibit and, employing advanced scientific methods, analysed the DNA present in the water samples to see if it would match the species known to be present in the exhibit.

The eDNA matched to some of the fish species known from the lagoon, but not all of them. Hence there is still some thinking to be done. But impressively, the eDNA not only confirmed the presence of some expected fish species, it also unearthed traces of human DNA, which is not surprising considering the exhibit is used by the general public. Furthermore, Raelene detected DNA from birds and spiders, underscoring a clear connection between the exhibit and the outside world.

For those of you who have never heard of environmental DNA (eDNA), think of it as the clues left behind at a crime scene, but by animals in a natural environment. eDNA refers to the genetic material that living organisms shed into their surroundings, whether in water, soil, or air. Scientists can now collect water and then extract the DNA from the water sample to figure out what kinds of animals and plants are present in that ecosystem, without actually seeing or disturbing the animals. It’s like a DNA detective for the environment!