Efficacy of using environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect alligator snapping turtles

Raw data of abiotic factors recorded from ten sites across east Texas, surveyed monthly from March 2023 to February 2024, showing positive (+) and negative (−) environmental DNA (eDNA) detection results for the alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii)., , # Dryad dataset Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.4qrfj6qpr](10.5061/dryad.4qrfj6qpr) ## Description of the data and file structure The outlined objectives of this research were performed by repeated eDNA surveys across ten sites that included both reservoir and riverine habitats. Each site was previously surveyed for alligator snapping turtles using hoop nets and eDNA in 2020 and 2021. These sites were surveyed an additional twelve times to test the efficacy of using eDNA in surveying alligator snapping turtles. These repeated site surveys across seasons, allowed us to assess detectability of this species using this non-invasive survey method. We collected local habitat covariates (e.g., temperature and current velocity) to further evaluate the potential environmental factors that influence eDNA detectability thus providing explanatory power to variability in detection of threatened and endangered species. ### Files and variables #### File: AST_eDNA_data.pdf **Description:** Month - ...,