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Velarde-Garcéz DA, Mata VA, Beja P, da Silva LP. DNA metabarcoding, diversity partitioning and null models reveal mechanisms of seasonal trophic specialization in a Mediterranean warbler. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17245. [PMID: 38124452 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Optimal Foraging Theory (OFT) predicts that a population's trophic niche expansion should occur in periods of food scarcity as individuals begin to opportunistically exploit sub-optimal food items. However, the Niche Variation Hypothesis (NVH) posits that niche widening may result from increased among-individual differentiation due to food partitioning to avoid competition. We tested these hypotheses through a DNA metabarcoding study of the Sardinian Warbler (Curruca melanocephala) diet over a year. We used null models and the decomposition of beta diversity on among-individual dietary differentiation to infer the mechanisms driving the population's niche variation. Warblers fed frequently on berries, with a peak in late summer and, to a lesser extent, in autumn. Their diet also included a wide range of arthropods, with their prevalence varying among seasons. Consistent with OFT, the population's niche width was narrower in spring/summer when the population was strongly specialized in berries. In winter, the population's niche expanded, possibly reflecting seasonal declines in food abundance. As predicted by NVH, among-individual differentiation tended to be higher in winter, but this was mainly due to increased differences in dietary richness rather than to the partitioning of resources. Overall, our results suggest that within-individual niche does not increase in lean periods, and instead, individuals adopt either a more opportunistic or more specialized foraging strategy. Increased competition in periods of scarcity may help explain such patterns, but instead of showing increased food partitioning as expected from NVH, it may reflect OFT mechanisms on individuals with differential competitive ability to access better food resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A Velarde-Garcéz
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Vanessa A Mata
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Pedro Beja
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Vairão, Portugal
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Instituto de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Luis P da Silva
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Vairão, Portugal
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Chen S, Yin X, Han J, Sun W, Yao H, Song J, Li X. DNA barcoding in herbal medicine: Retrospective and prospective. J Pharm Anal 2023; 13:431-441. [PMID: 37305789 PMCID: PMC10257146 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpha.2023.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA barcoding has been widely used for herb identification in recent decades, enabling safety and innovation in the field of herbal medicine. In this article, we summarize recent progress in DNA barcoding for herbal medicine to provide ideas for the further development and application of this technology. Most importantly, the standard DNA barcode has been extended in two ways. First, while conventional DNA barcodes have been widely promoted for their versatility in the identification of fresh or well-preserved samples, super-barcodes based on plastid genomes have rapidly developed and have shown advantages in species identification at low taxonomic levels. Second, mini-barcodes are attractive because they perform better in cases of degraded DNA from herbal materials. In addition, some molecular techniques, such as high-throughput sequencing and isothermal amplification, are combined with DNA barcodes for species identification, which has expanded the applications of herb identification based on DNA barcoding and brought about the post-DNA-barcoding era. Furthermore, standard and high-species coverage DNA barcode reference libraries have been constructed to provide reference sequences for species identification, which increases the accuracy and credibility of species discrimination based on DNA barcodes. In summary, DNA barcoding should play a key role in the quality control of traditional herbal medicine and in the international herb trade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shilin Chen
- Institute of Herbgenomics, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China
- Key Laboratory of Beijing for Identification and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China
| | - Xianmei Yin
- Institute of Herbgenomics, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Jianping Han
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Wei Sun
- Key Laboratory of Beijing for Identification and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China
| | - Hui Yao
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Jingyuan Song
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Xiwen Li
- Key Laboratory of Beijing for Identification and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China
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Govender A, Singh S, Groeneveld J, Pillay S, Willows-Munro S. Experimental validation of taxon-specific mini-barcode primers for metabarcoding of zooplankton. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e02469. [PMID: 34626511 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Metabarcoding to determine the species composition and diversity of marine zooplankton communities is a fast-developing field in which the standardization of methods is yet to be fully achieved. The selection of genetic markers and primer choice are particularly important because they substantially influence species detection rates and accuracy. Validation is therefore an important step in the design of metabarcoding protocols. We developed taxon-specific mini-barcode primers for the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene region and used an experimental approach to test species detection rates and primer accuracy of the newly designed primers for prawns, shrimps and crabs and published primers for marine lobsters and fish. Artificially assembled mock communities (with known species ratios) and unsorted coastal tow-net zooplankton samples were sequenced and the detected species were compared with those seeded in mock communities to test detection rates. Taxon-specific primers increased detection rates of target taxa compared with a universal primer set. Primer cocktails (multiple primer sets) significantly increased species detection rates compared with single primer pairs and could detect up to 100% of underrepresented target taxa in mock communities. Taxon-specific primers recovered fewer false-positive or false-negative results than the universal primer. The methods used to design taxon-specific mini-barcodes and the experimental mock community validation protocols shown here can easily be applied to studies on other groups and will allow for a level of standardization among studies undertaken in different ecosystems or geographic locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashrenee Govender
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Carbis Road, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, 3201, South Africa
- Oceanographic Research Institute, King Shaka Avenue, Point, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, 4001, South Africa
| | - Sohana Singh
- Oceanographic Research Institute, King Shaka Avenue, Point, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, 4001, South Africa
| | - Johan Groeneveld
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Carbis Road, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, 3201, South Africa
- Oceanographic Research Institute, King Shaka Avenue, Point, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, 4001, South Africa
| | - Sureshnee Pillay
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Department of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Umbilo Rd, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, 4001, South Africa
| | - Sandi Willows-Munro
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Carbis Road, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, 3201, South Africa
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