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Lee AWT, Ng ICF, Wong EYK, Wong ITF, Sze RPP, Chan KY, So TY, Zhang Z, Ka-Yee Fung S, Choi-Ying Wong S, Tam WY, Lao HY, Lee LK, Leung JSL, Chan CTM, Ng TTL, Zhang J, Chow FWN, Leung PHM, Siu GKH. Comprehensive identification of pathogenic microbes and antimicrobial resistance genes in food products using nanopore sequencing-based metagenomics. Food Microbiol 2024; 121:104493. [PMID: 38637066 DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2024.104493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Foodborne pathogens, particularly antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria, remain a significant threat to global health. Given the limitations of conventional culture-based approaches, which are limited in scope and time-consuming, metagenomic sequencing of food products emerges as a promising solution. This method provides a fast and comprehensive way to detect the presence of pathogenic microbes and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). Notably, nanopore long-read sequencing provides more accurate bacterial taxonomic classification in comparison to short-read sequencing. Here, we revealed the impact of food types and attributes (origin, retail place, and food processing methods) on microbial communities and the AMR profile using nanopore metagenomic sequencing. We analyzed a total of 260 food products, including raw meat, sashimi, and ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetables. Clostridium botulinum, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus were identified as the top three foodborne pathogens in raw meat and sashimi. Importantly, even with low pathogen abundance, higher percentages of samples containing carbapenem and cephalosporin resistance genes were identified in chicken and RTE vegetables, respectively. In parallel, our results demonstrated that fresh, peeled, and minced foods exhibited higher levels of pathogenic bacteria. In conclusion, this comprehensive study offers invaluable data that can contribute to food safety assessments and serve as a basis for quality indicators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie Wing-Tung Lee
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Iain Chi-Fung Ng
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Evelyn Yin-Kwan Wong
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Ivan Tak-Fai Wong
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Rebecca Po-Po Sze
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Kit-Yu Chan
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Tsz-Yan So
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Zhipeng Zhang
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Sharon Ka-Yee Fung
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Sally Choi-Ying Wong
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Wing-Yin Tam
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Hiu-Yin Lao
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Lam-Kwong Lee
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Jake Siu-Lun Leung
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Chloe Toi-Mei Chan
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Timothy Ting-Leung Ng
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Jiaying Zhang
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Franklin Wang-Ngai Chow
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Polly Hang-Mei Leung
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Gilman Kit-Hang Siu
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
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2
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Petrone BL, Bartlett A, Jiang S, Korenek A, Vintila S, Tenekjian C, Yancy WS, David LA, Kleiner M. Metaproteomics and DNA metabarcoding as tools to assess dietary intake in humans. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.09.588275. [PMID: 38645092 PMCID: PMC11030321 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.09.588275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Objective biomarkers of food intake are a sought-after goal in nutrition research. Most biomarker development to date has focused on metabolites detected in blood, urine, skin or hair, but detection of consumed foods in stool has also been shown to be possible via DNA sequencing. An additional food macromolecule in stool that harbors sequence information is protein. However, the use of protein as an intake biomarker has only been explored to a very limited extent. Here, we evaluate and compare measurement of residual food-derived DNA and protein in stool as potential biomarkers of intake. We performed a pilot study of DNA sequencing-based metabarcoding (FoodSeq) and mass spectrometry-based metaproteomics in five individuals' stool sampled in short, longitudinal bursts accompanied by detailed diet records (n=27 total samples). Dietary data provided by stool DNA, stool protein, and written diet record independently identified a strong within-person dietary signature, identified similar food taxa, and had significantly similar global structure in two of the three pairwise comparisons between measurement techniques (DNA-to-protein and DNA-to-diet record). Metaproteomics identified proteins including myosin, ovalbumin, and beta-lactoglobulin that differentiated food tissue types like beef from dairy and chicken from egg, distinctions that were not possible by DNA alone. Overall, our results lay the groundwork for development of targeted metaproteomic assays for dietary assessment and demonstrate that diverse molecular components of food can be leveraged to study food intake using stool samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brianna L Petrone
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Alexandria Bartlett
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Sharon Jiang
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Abigail Korenek
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Simina Vintila
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | | | - William S Yancy
- Duke Lifestyle and Weight Management Center, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Lawrence A David
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Manuel Kleiner
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
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3
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Fernandes K, Bateman PW, Saunders BJ, Gibberd M, Bunce M, Bohmann K, Nevill P. Analysing the effects of distance, taxon and biomass on vertebrate detections using bulk-collected carrion fly iDNA. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231286. [PMID: 38577218 PMCID: PMC10987983 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Invertebrate-derived DNA (iDNA) metabarcoding from carrion flies is a powerful, non-invasive tool that has value for assessing vertebrate diversity. However, unknowns exist around the factors that influence vertebrate detections, such as spatial limits to iDNA signals or if detections are influenced by taxonomic class or estimated biomass of the vertebrates of interest. Using a bulk-collection method, we captured flies from within a zoo and along transects extending 4 km away from this location. From 920 flies, we detected 28 vertebrate species. Of the 28 detected species, we identified 9 species kept at the zoo, 8 mammals and 1 bird, but no reptiles. iDNA detections were highly geographically localized, and only a few zoo animals were detected outside the zoo setting. However, due to the low number of detections in our dataset, we found no influence of the taxonomic group or the estimated biomass of animals on their detectability. Our data suggest that iDNA detections from bulk-collected carrion flies, at least in urban settings in Australia, are predominantly determined by geographic proximity to the sampling location. This study presents an important step in understanding how iDNA techniques can be used in biodiversity monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen Fernandes
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia6102, Australia
- Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Food Agility CRC Ltd, Sydney, New South Wales2000, Australia
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin9016, New Zealand
| | - Philip W. Bateman
- Behavioural Ecology Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia6102, Australia
- MBioMe - Mine Site Biomonitoring using eDNA Research Group, Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia6102, Australia
| | - Benjamin J. Saunders
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia6102, Australia
| | - Mark Gibberd
- Food Agility CRC Ltd, Sydney, New South Wales2000, Australia
- Centre for Crop and Disease Management, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia6102, Australia
| | - Michael Bunce
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia6102, Australia
- Environmental Science and Research (ESR), Porirua5022, New Zealand
| | - Kristine Bohmann
- Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Paul Nevill
- MBioMe - Mine Site Biomonitoring using eDNA Research Group, Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia6102, Australia
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4
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Buzan E, Potočnik H, Pokorny B, Potušek S, Iacolina L, Gerič U, Urzi F, Kos I. Molecular analysis of scats revealed diet and prey choice of grey wolves and Eurasian lynx in the contact zone between the Dinaric Mountains and the Alps. Front Zool 2024; 21:9. [PMID: 38500207 PMCID: PMC10949697 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-024-00530-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
A comprehensive understanding of the dietary habits of carnivores is essential to get ecological insights into their role in the ecosystem, potential competition with other carnivorous species, and their effect on prey populations. Genetic analysis of non-invasive samples, such as scats, can supplement behavioural or microscopic diet investigations. The objective of this study was to employ DNA metabarcoding to accurately determine the prey species in grey wolf (Canis lupus) and Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) scat samples collected in the Julian Alps and the Dinaric Mountains, Slovenia. The primary prey of wolves were red deer (Cervus elaphus) (detected in 96% scat samples), European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) (68%), and wild boar (Sus scrofa) (45%). A smaller portion of their diet consisted of mesocarnivores, small mammals, and domestic animals. In contrast, the lynx diet mostly consisted of European roe deer (82%) and red deer (64%). However, small mammals and domestic animals were also present in lynx diet, albeit to a lesser extent. Our findings indicate that the dietary habits of wolves and lynx are influenced by geographical location. Snapshot dietary analyses using metabarcoding are valuable for comprehending the behaviour and ecology of predators, and for devising conservation measures aimed at sustainable management of both their natural habitats and prey populations. However, to gain a more detailed understanding of wolf and lynx dietary habits and ecological impact, it would be essential to conduct long-term genetic monitoring of their diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Buzan
- Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Glagoljaška 8, 6000, Koper, Slovenia
- Faculty of Environmental Protection, Trg mladosti 7, 3320, Velenje, Slovenia
| | - Hubert Potočnik
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Boštjan Pokorny
- Faculty of Environmental Protection, Trg mladosti 7, 3320, Velenje, Slovenia
- Slovenian Forestry Institute, Večna pot 2, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Sandra Potušek
- Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Glagoljaška 8, 6000, Koper, Slovenia
| | - Laura Iacolina
- Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Glagoljaška 8, 6000, Koper, Slovenia
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Frederik Bajers Vej 7H, 9220, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Urška Gerič
- Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Glagoljaška 8, 6000, Koper, Slovenia
| | - Felicita Urzi
- Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Glagoljaška 8, 6000, Koper, Slovenia.
| | - Ivan Kos
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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5
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Maosa JO, Wang S, Liu S, Li H, Qing X, Bert W. Exploring the use of metabarcoding to reveal eukaryotic associations with mononchids nematodes. J Nematol 2024; 56:20240016. [PMID: 38737093 PMCID: PMC11086744 DOI: 10.2478/jofnem-2024-0016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Nematodes play a vital ecological role in soil and marine ecosystems, but there is limited information about their dietary diversity and feeding habits. Due to methodological challenges, the available information is based on inference rather than confirmed observations. The lack of correct dietary requirements also hampers rearing experiments. To achieve insight into the prey of mononchid nematodes, this study employed high-throughput Illumina paired-end sequencing using universal eukaryotic species 18S primers on 10 pooled mononchid nematode species, namely Mylonchulus brachyuris, M. brevicaudatus, Mylonchulus sp., Clarkus parvus, Prionchulus sp. M. hawaiiensis, M. sigmaturellus, M. vulvapapillatus, Anatonchus sp. and Miconchus sp. The results indicate that mononchids are associated with a remarkable diversity of eukaryotes, including fungi, algae, and protists. While the metabarcoding approach, first introduced here for mononchids, proved to be a simple and rapid method, it has several limitations and crucial methodological challenges that should be addressed in future studies. Ultimately, such methods should be able to evaluate the dietary complexity of nematodes and provide a valuable avenue for unraveling the dietary requirements of previously unculturable nematodes. This can contribute to the methodology of understanding their feeding habits and contributions to ecosystem dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph O. Maosa
- Nematology Research Unit, Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000Ghent, Belgium
| | - Siqi Wang
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Shuhan Liu
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hongmei Li
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xue Qing
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Wim Bert
- Nematology Research Unit, Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000Ghent, Belgium
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6
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Michel A, Minocher R, Niehoff PP, Li Y, Nota K, Gadhvi MA, Su J, Iyer N, Porter A, Ngobobo-As-Ibungu U, Binyinyi E, Nishuli Pekeyake R, Parducci L, Caillaud D, Guschanski K. Isolated Grauer's gorilla populations differ in diet and gut microbiome. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:6523-6542. [PMID: 35976262 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The animal gut microbiome has been implicated in a number of key biological processes, ranging from digestion to behaviour, and has also been suggested to facilitate local adaptation. Yet studies in wild animals rarely compare multiple populations that differ ecologically, which is the level at which local adaptation may occur. Further, few studies simultaneously characterize diet and gut microbiome from the same sample, despite their probable interdependence. Here, we investigate the interplay between diet and gut microbiome in three geographically isolated populations of the critically endangered Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri), which we show to be genetically differentiated. We find population- and social group-specific dietary and gut microbial profiles and covariation between diet and gut microbiome, despite the presence of core microbial taxa. There was no detectable effect of age, and only marginal effects of sex and genetic relatedness on the microbiome. Diet differed considerably across populations, with the high-altitude population consuming a lower diversity of plants compared to low-altitude populations, consistent with plant availability constraining dietary choices. The observed pattern of covariation between diet and gut microbiome is probably a result of long-term social and environmental factors. Our study suggests that the gut microbiome is sufficiently plastic to support flexible food selection and hence contribute to local adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Michel
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Riana Minocher
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Peter-Philip Niehoff
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Yuhong Li
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Kevin Nota
- Plant Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Maya A Gadhvi
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jiancheng Su
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Neetha Iyer
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Amy Porter
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | | | - Escobar Binyinyi
- The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Radar Nishuli Pekeyake
- Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Laura Parducci
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Damien Caillaud
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Katerina Guschanski
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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7
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Frolov AV, Akhmetova LA, Vishnevskaya MS, Kiriukhin BA, Montreuil O, Lopes F, Tarasov SI. Amplicon metagenomics of dung beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae) as a proxy for lemur (Primates, Lemuroidea) studies in Madagascar. Zookeys 2023; 1181:29-39. [PMID: 37810459 PMCID: PMC10556875 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1181.107496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Dung beetles (Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae) are among the most cost-effective and informative biodiversity indicator groups, conveying rich information about the status of habitats and faunas of an area. Yet their use for monitoring the mammal species, that are the main providers of the food for the dung beetles, has only recently been recognized. In the present work, we studied the diet of four endemic Madagascan dung beetles (Helictopleurusfissicollis (Fairmaire), H.giganteus (Harold), Nanosagaboides (Boucomont), and Epilissussplendidus Fairmaire) using high-throughput sequencing and amplicon metagenomics. For all beetle species, the ⅔-¾ of reads belonged to humans, suggesting that human feces are the main source of food for the beetles in the examined areas. The second most abundant were the reads of the cattle (Bostaurus Linnaeus). We also found lower but significant number of reads of six lemur species belonging to three genera. Our sampling localities agree well with the known ranges of these lemur species. The amplicon metagenomics method proved a promising tool for the lemur inventories in Madagascar.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey V. Frolov
- Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, RussiaZoological Institute, Russian Academy of SciencesSaint PetersburgRussia
| | - Lilia A. Akhmetova
- Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, RussiaZoological Institute, Russian Academy of SciencesSaint PetersburgRussia
| | - Maria S. Vishnevskaya
- Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, RussiaZoological Institute, Russian Academy of SciencesSaint PetersburgRussia
- Department of Entomology, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, RussiaSaint Petersburg State UniversitySaint PetersburgRussia
| | - Bogdan A. Kiriukhin
- AquaBioSafe Laboratory, University of Tyumen, Tyumen, RussiaUniversity of TyumenTyumenRussia
| | - Olivier Montreuil
- National Museum of Natural History, Paris, FranceNational Museum of Natural HistoryParisFrance
| | - Fernando Lopes
- Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FinlandUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | - Sergei I. Tarasov
- Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FinlandUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
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8
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Identifying stable and overlapping habitats for a predator (common leopard) and prey species (Himalayan grey goral & Himalayan grey langur) in northern Pakistan. Glob Ecol Conserv 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
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9
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Groen K, Jacob J, Hein S, Didaskalou EA, van Bodegom PM, Hahne J, Trimbos KB. DNA-based seed intake quantification for enhanced ecological risk assessment of small mammals. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2023; 259:115036. [PMID: 37216865 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
To prevent the non-acceptable effects of agrochemicals on arable fields, Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) aims to assess and protect against a wide range of risks due to stressors to non-target species. While exposure to stress is a key factor in ERA models, exposure values are difficult to obtain and rely on laboratory studies with often debatable relevance to field situations. To improve intake estimates, data from realistic field-based scenarios are needed. We developed calibration curves relating known seed numbers of up to 20 onion and carrot seeds consumed by wild-caught wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) to the seed DNA content in the feces. Based on these inferred quantitative relationships, a field trial was run to determine seed intake in a natural setting using realistic levels of seed spillage. Onion DNA was detected in the fecal samples of the wood mice caught in the field, which resembled a seed intake of up to 1 onion seed. No intake of carrot seeds was detected. This is the first-ever study to quantify seed intake in a realistic field scenario using a DNA-based analysis, showing that accurate seed intake estimates can be obtained. Our approach can help to improve risk assessment models through its minimally-invasive and accurate assessment of seed intake by ERA representative and non-target species, which would otherwise be undetectable with traditional methods. Our novel approach and its results are highly relevant to studies of food intake and diet composition for basic and applied research alike.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Groen
- Environmental Biology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, Van Steenis, Building, Einsteinweg 2, 2333 CC Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Jens Jacob
- Rodent Research, Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Julius Kühn-Institute (JKI) Federal Research Institute for Cultivated Plants, Toppheideweg 88, 48161 Münster, Germany
| | - Susanne Hein
- Vertebrate Research, Institute for Plant Protection in Horticulture and Forests, Julius Kühn-Institute (JKI) Federal Research Institute for Cultivated Plants, Toppheideweg 88, 48161 Münster, Germany
| | - Emilie A Didaskalou
- Environmental Biology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, Van Steenis, Building, Einsteinweg 2, 2333 CC Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Peter M van Bodegom
- Environmental Biology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, Van Steenis, Building, Einsteinweg 2, 2333 CC Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Joerg Hahne
- Bayer AG, Crop Science Division, Terrestrial Vertebrates, Monheim am Rhein, Germany
| | - Krijn B Trimbos
- Environmental Biology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, Van Steenis, Building, Einsteinweg 2, 2333 CC Leiden, the Netherlands
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10
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Paula DP, Andow DA. DNA High-Throughput Sequencing for Arthropod Gut Content Analysis to Evaluate Effectiveness and Safety of Biological Control Agents. NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 52:302-332. [PMID: 36478343 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-022-01011-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The search for effective biological control agents without harmful non-target effects has been constrained by the use of impractical (field direct observation) or imprecise (cage experiments) methods. While advances in the DNA sequencing methods, more specifically the development of high-throughput sequencing (HTS), have been quickly incorporated in biodiversity surveys, they have been slow to be adopted to determine arthropod prey range, predation rate and food web structure, and critical information to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a biological control agent candidate. The lack of knowledge on how HTS methods could be applied by ecological entomologists constitutes part of the problem, although the lack of expertise and the high cost of the analysis also are important limiting factors. In this review, we describe how the latest HTS methods of metabarcoding and Lazaro, a method to identify prey by mapping unassembled shotgun reads, can serve biological control research, showing both their power and limitations. We explain how they work to determine prey range and also how their data can be used to estimate predation rates and subsequently be translated into food webs of natural enemy and prey populations helping to elucidate their role in the community. We present a brief history of prey detection through molecular gut content analysis and also the attempts to develop a more precise formula to estimate predation rates, a problem that still remains. We focused on arthropods in agricultural ecosystems, but most of what is covered here can be applied to natural systems and non-arthropod biological control candidates as well.
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11
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Lu Q, Cheng C, Xiao L, Li J, Li X, Zhao X, Lu Z, Zhao J, Yao M. Food webs reveal coexistence mechanisms and community organization in carnivores. Curr Biol 2023; 33:647-659.e5. [PMID: 36669497 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Globally, massive carnivore guild extirpations have led to trophic downgrading and compromised ecosystem services. However, the complexity of multi-carnivore food webs complicates accurate identification of species interactions and community organization. Here, we used fecal DNA metabarcoding to investigate three communities that together encompass eight large- and meso-carnivore species and their 44 prey taxa of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), one of the last places on Earth that still harbors intact carnivore assemblages. Quantitative food-web analyses revealed pronounced interspecific variations in the carnivores' prey compositions and dietary partitioning both between and within guilds. Additionally, body masses of the carnivores and their prey exhibited consistent hump-shaped correlations across communities. Overall, differences in prey diversity, size category, and proportional utilization among the carnivore species result in trophic niche segregation that likely promotes carnivore coexistence in the harsh QTP environment. Network structure analyses detected significant modularity in all food webs but nestedness in only one. Furthermore, network characterization identified pikas (Ochotona spp.), bharal (Pseudois nayaur), and domestic yak (Bos grunniens) as potential keystone prey across the areas. Our results paint a holistic and detailed picture of the QTP carnivore assemblages' trophic networks and demonstrate that the combined use of the molecular dietary approach and network analysis can generate structural insights into carnivore coexistence and can identify functionally important species in complex communities. Such knowledge can help safeguard carnivore guild integrity and enhance community resilience to environmental perturbations in the sensitive QTP ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Lu
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Chen Cheng
- Center for Nature and Society, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Shan Shui Conservation Center, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Lingyun Xiao
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Juan Li
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Xueyang Li
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xiang Zhao
- Shan Shui Conservation Center, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Zhi Lu
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Center for Nature and Society, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Shan Shui Conservation Center, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jindong Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Meng Yao
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
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12
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Dou H, Wang M, Yin X, Feng L, Yang H. Can the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) be used as an effective sampler of fish diversity? Using molecular assessment of otter diet to survey fish communities. METABARCODING AND METAGENOMICS 2023. [DOI: 10.3897/mbmg.7.96733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The Eurasian otter Lutra lutra is a generalist carnivore that is widely distributed in many aquatic ecosystems. Based on its inherent attributes of opportunistic foraging behaviour and broad dietary range, it is naturally considered a potential sampler of the diversity of aquatic vertebrates. To test the ability and efficiency of otters as a diversity sampler, we used DNA metabarcoding to investigate the composition in vertebrates of the diet of otters that inhabit a forest stream area in northeast China. Twenty vertebrate prey taxa were detected in 98 otter spraints. Otter diet mainly comprised aquatic fishes (59.4%) and amphibians (39.0%). We also used traditional approaches to investigate fish communities at 60 sampling sites in the same area to determine the relationship between fish population composition in the environment and otter diet. The comparison revealed that 28 species of fish were distributed in this area, of which five are simultaneously detected in otter spraints. This indicates that molecular analysis of the diet of otters is not an ideal approach for investigating fish diversity, at least when using the 12SV5 primer pair. Based on a review of the available molecular research on otter diet, we conclude that the low species resolution may be due to the presence of many closely-related prey species in native habitats and lack of suitable barcodes. Considering the remarkable power of diet metabarcoding analysis in capturing elusive and rare species, it represents an approach that can compensate for the defects associated with fishing methods and we suggest that it can be used as an auxiliary means of measuring traditional fish diversity.
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13
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Woo C, Kumari P, Eo KY, Lee WS, Kimura J, Yamamoto N. Combining vertebrate mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene sequencing and shotgun metagenomic sequencing to investigate the diet of the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) in Korea. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0281245. [PMID: 36719887 PMCID: PMC9888693 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), an endangered species in South Korea, is a small feline widely distributed in Asia. Here, we investigated the diet of leopard cats in the inland areas of Korea by examining their fecal contents using vertebrate mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene sequencing and shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing revealed that the feces were rich in DNA not only of vertebrates but also of arthropods and plants, but care should be taken when using shotgun metagenomic sequencing to identify vertebrates at low taxonomic levels (e.g., genus level), as it was often erroneous. Meanwhile, vertebrate mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene sequencing was found to be accurate in the genus-level identification, as the genera identified were consistent with the Korean fauna. We found that small mammals such as murids were their main prey. By using these two sequencing methods in combination, this study demonstrated that accurate information about the overall dietary content and vertebrate prey of leopard cats could be obtained. We expect that the continued community efforts to expand the genome database of wildlife, including vertebrates, will alleviate the problem of erroneous identification of prey at low taxonomic levels by shotgun metagenomic sequencing in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheolwoon Woo
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Priyanka Kumari
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Health and Environment, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung Yeon Eo
- Department of Animal Health and Welfare, College of Healthcare and Biotechnology, Semyung University, Jecheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Woo-Shin Lee
- Department of Forest Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Junpei Kimura
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Naomichi Yamamoto
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Health and Environment, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- * E-mail:
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14
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Zhang X, Luo D, Yu RQ, Wu Y. Multilocus DNA metabarcoding diet analyses of small cetaceans: a case study on highly vulnerable humpback dolphins and finless porpoises from the Pearl River Estuary, China. Integr Zool 2023; 18:183-198. [PMID: 35279952 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Accurate diet identification of top predators is crucial to fully understand their ecological roles. Compared to terrestrial animals, gathering dietary information from cetaceans is notoriously difficult. Here, we applied a multilocus metabarcoding approach to investigate the diet of vulnerable Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins and Indo-Pacific finless porpoises from the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), China. Our analyses identified 21 prey fish species from the 42 humpback dolphin stomachs, as well as 10 species of fish and 1 species of cephalopod from the 13 finless porpoise stomachs. All of the taxa were assigned to the species level, highlighting that the multimarker approach could facilitate species identification. Most of the prey species were small- and medium-sized fishes that primarily fed on zooplankton. The calculated similarity index revealed a moderated dietary overlap between the 2 cetaceans, presumably due to the feeding of the 2 predators in association with fishing vessels in the PRE. A more diverse diet was observed in humpback dolphins in the closed fishing season compared to the fishing season, implying the influence on the dolphin diet due to the availability of commercial fishery resources. However, according to the results of species rarefaction curves, our findings on the feeding habits of the 2 cetaceans are still limited by insufficient sample size and therefore should be interpreted with caution. This study represents a first attempt to apply the multilocus DNA metabarcoding technique in the diet analysis of small cetaceans, although more efforts are needed to improve this type of analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiyang Zhang
- School of Marine Sciences, Zhuhai Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Pearl River Estuary Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Zhuhai, China
| | - Dingyu Luo
- School of Marine Sciences, Zhuhai Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Pearl River Estuary Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Zhuhai, China
| | - Ri-Qing Yu
- Department of Biology, Center for Environment, Biodiversity and Conservation, The University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, Texas, USA
| | - Yuping Wu
- School of Marine Sciences, Zhuhai Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Pearl River Estuary Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Zhuhai, China
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15
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Molecular Dietary Analysis of Three Sympatric Mustelidae in Northeast China. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12233290. [PMID: 36496809 PMCID: PMC9738120 DOI: 10.3390/ani12233290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Diet analysis is essential to fully understand the biology of a species and its function within the ecosystem, as well as being key in identifying food web interactions and the population dynamics of predators and prey. The understanding of the diet of small to mid-sized carnivores remains generally lacking or uninformative due to the inability for taxonomic resolution based on morphology. The yellow-throated marten (Martes flavigula), Eurasian river otter (Lutra lutra), and Siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica) are three important Mustelidae species in ecosystems of northeast China. Based on fecal DNA and a next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach, we analyzed the vertebrate prey of these three sympatric Mustelidae. Prey included 7 mammalian taxa, 10 fishes, 2 birds, and 2 amphibians, with 85% of the taxa assigned to the species level. In total, twenty-one vertebrate prey taxa were identified from seven yellow-throated martens, eight Eurasian river otters, and two Siberian weasels. Concerning identified dietary species, 10 taxa were consumed by yellow-throated martens, 14 by Eurasian river otters, and 4 by Siberian weasels. Some prey species were identified in more than one species. Amphibians and fishes were the most dominant Eurasian river otter prey categories, whereas Eurasian badger (Meles leucurus), birds, and rodents were the main yellow-throated marten prey; amphibians and rodents were largely contained in Siberian weasel prey. Among prey items, Dybowski's frog (Rana dybowskii) and Korean field mouse (Apodemus peninsulae) were identified in all three Mustelidae species but our analyses suggest potential diet preferences among Mustelidae species. Future studies should focus on understanding the trophic relationships of these three Mustelidae species, providing valuable information for their conservation planning.
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16
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“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”: Molecular Tools to Reconstruct multilocus Genetic Profiles from Wild Canid Consumption Remains. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12182428. [PMID: 36139288 PMCID: PMC9495216 DOI: 10.3390/ani12182428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-invasive genetic sampling is a practical tool to monitor pivotal ecological parameters and population dynamic patterns of endangered species. It can be particularly suitable when applied to elusive carnivores such as the Apennine wolf (Canis lupus italicus) and the European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris), which can live in overlapping ecological contexts and sometimes share their habitats with their domestic free-ranging relatives, increasing the risk of anthropogenic hybridisation. In this case study, we exploited all the ecological and genetic information contained in a single biological canid faecal sample, collected in a forested area of central Italy, to detect any sign of trophic interactions between wolves and European wildcats or their domestic counterparts. Firstly, the faecal finding was morphologically examined, showing the presence of felid hair and claw fragment remains. Subsequently, total genomic DNA contained in the hair and claw samples was extracted and genotyped, through a multiple-tube approach, at canid and felid diagnostic panels of microsatellite loci. Finally, the obtained individual multilocus genotypes were analysed with reference wild and domestic canid and felid populations to assess their correct taxonomic status using Bayesian clustering procedures. Assignment analyses classified the genotype obtained from the endothelial cells present on the hair sample as a wolf with slight signals of dog ancestry, showing a qi = 0.954 (C.I. 0.780–1.000) to the wolf cluster, and the genotype obtained from the claw as a domestic cat, showing a qi = 0.996 (95% C.I. = 0.982–1.000) to the domestic cat cluster. Our results clearly show how a non-invasive multidisciplinary approach allows the cost-effective identification of both prey and predator genetic profiles and their taxonomic status, contributing to the improvement of our knowledge about feeding habits, predatory dynamics, and anthropogenic hybridisation risk in threatened species.
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17
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Spatial co-occurrence and temporal activity patterns of sympatric mesocarnivores guild in Qinling Mountains. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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18
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Woo C, Kumari P, Eo KY, Lee WS, Kimura J, Yamamoto N. Using DNA metabarcoding and a novel canid-specific blocking oligonucleotide to investigate the composition of animal diets of raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) inhabiting the waterside area in Korea. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0271118. [PMID: 35877678 PMCID: PMC9312373 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) is known to be an opportunistic generalist who feeds on a wide variety of foods. Historically, their diet has been investigated by morphological observation of undigested remains in feces, requiring specialized knowledge such as osteology, zoology, and phytology. Here, we used DNA metabarcoding of vertebrate 12S rRNA gene and invertebrate 16S rRNA gene to investigate their fecal contents. Additionally, we developed a blocking oligonucleotide that specifically inhibits the amplification of the canid 12S rRNA gene. We confirmed that the blocking oligonucleotide selectively inhibit the amplification of raccoon dog’s DNA without significantly changing the composition of the preys’ DNA. We found that the main foods of raccoon dogs in our study area, the waterside of paddy fields in Korea, were fishes such as Cyprinidae and insects such as mole crickets, which makes sense given the Korean fauna and their well-known opportunistic feeding behaviors. As a method to conveniently and objectively investigate feeding habits of raccoon dogs, this study provided baseline information on DNA metabarcoding. By using DNA metabarcoding, it is expected that the diet habits and ecology of raccoon dogs will be better understood by future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheolwoon Woo
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Priyanka Kumari
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Health and Environment, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung Yeon Eo
- Department of Animal Health and Welfare, College of Healthcare and Biotechnology, Semyung University, Jecheon, Republic of Korea
- * E-mail: (KYE); (NY)
| | - Woo-Shin Lee
- Department of Forest Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Junpei Kimura
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Naomichi Yamamoto
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Health and Environment, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- * E-mail: (KYE); (NY)
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19
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Assessing Asiatic cheetah’s individual diet using metabarcoding and its implication for conservation. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11403. [PMID: 35794196 PMCID: PMC9259742 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15065-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractKnowledge on diet composition allows defining well-targeted conservation measures of large carnivores. Little is known about ecology of critically endangered Asiatic cheetah, especially the overall diet and its possible regional differences. We used cheetah scats, metabarcoding technique and microsatellite markers to assess the individual and overall diet composition of the species across its entire range in Asia. Cheetahs were primarily predating on mouflon; following by ibex, cape hare and goitered gazelle. Despite their high availability, small-sized livestock was never detected. Goitered gazelles were only detected in an area where the habitat is mainly flatlands. In hilly areas, mouflon was the most frequent prey item taken. Ibex was typically taken in rugged terrain, but mouflon was still the most frequently consumed item in these habitats. High consumption of mouflon in comparison to goitered gazelle suggests that human pressure on lowland habitats has possibly forced Asiatic cheetahs to occupy suboptimal habitats where gazelles are less abundant. The protection of flatlands and the removal of livestock from them are needed to ensure the long-term survival of Asiatic cheetah. The laboratory and bioinformatics pipelines used in this study are replicable and can be used to address similar questions in other threatened carnivores.
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20
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McLennan EA, Wise P, Lee AV, Grueber CE, Belov K, Hogg CJ. DNA metabarcoding reveals a broad dietary range for Tasmanian devils introduced to a naive ecosystem. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8936. [PMID: 35600680 PMCID: PMC9120209 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Top carnivores are essential for maintaining ecosystem stability and biodiversity. Yet, carnivores are declining globally and current in situ threat mitigations cannot halt population declines. As such, translocations of carnivores to historic sites or those outside the species’ native range are becoming increasingly common. As carnivores are likely to impact herbivore and small predator populations, understanding how carnivores interact within an ecosystem following translocation is necessary to inform potential remedial management and future translocations. Dietary analyses provide a preliminary assessment of the direct influence of translocated carnivores on a recipient ecosystem. We used a metabarcoding approach to quantify the diet of Tasmanian devils introduced to Maria Island, Tasmania, a site outside the species’ native range. We extracted DNA from 96 scats and used a universal primer set targeting the vertebrate 12S rRNA gene to identify diet items. Tasmanian devils on Maria Island had an eclectic diet, with 63 consumed taxa identified. Cat DNA was detected in 14% of scats, providing the first instance of cats appearing as part of Tasmanian devil diets either via predation or scavenging. Short‐tail shearwaters and little penguins were commonly consumed, corresponding with previous surveys showing sharp population declines in these species since the introduction of Tasmanian devils. Our results indicate that the introduction of carnivores to novel ecosystems can be very successful for the focal species, but that commonly consumed species should be closely monitored to identify any vulnerable species in need of remedial management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elspeth A. McLennan
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Phil Wise
- Save the Tasmanian Devil Program NRE Hobart Tasmania Australia
| | - Andrew V. Lee
- Save the Tasmanian Devil Program NRE Hobart Tasmania Australia
| | - Catherine E. Grueber
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Katherine Belov
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Carolyn J. Hogg
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
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21
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Bohmann K, Elbrecht V, Carøe C, Bista I, Leese F, Bunce M, Yu DW, Seymour M, Dumbrell AJ, Creer S. Strategies for sample labelling and library preparation in DNA metabarcoding studies. Mol Ecol Resour 2022; 22:1231-1246. [PMID: 34551203 PMCID: PMC9293284 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Metabarcoding of DNA extracted from environmental or bulk specimen samples is increasingly used to profile biota in basic and applied biodiversity research because of its targeted nature that allows sequencing of genetic markers from many samples in parallel. To achieve this, PCR amplification is carried out with primers designed to target a taxonomically informative marker within a taxonomic group, and sample-specific nucleotide identifiers are added to the amplicons prior to sequencing. The latter enables assignment of the sequences back to the samples they originated from. Nucleotide identifiers can be added during the metabarcoding PCR and during "library preparation", that is, when amplicons are prepared for sequencing. Different strategies to achieve this labelling exist. All have advantages, challenges and limitations, some of which can lead to misleading results, and in the worst case compromise the fidelity of the metabarcoding data. Given the range of questions addressed using metabarcoding, ensuring that data generation is robust and fit for the chosen purpose is critically important for practitioners seeking to employ metabarcoding for biodiversity assessments. Here, we present an overview of the three main workflows for sample-specific labelling and library preparation in metabarcoding studies on Illumina sequencing platforms; one-step PCR, two-step PCR, and tagged PCR. Further, we distill the key considerations for researchers seeking to select an appropriate metabarcoding strategy for their specific study. Ultimately, by gaining insights into the consequences of different metabarcoding workflows, we hope to further consolidate the power of metabarcoding as a tool to assess biodiversity across a range of applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Bohmann
- Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesSection for Evolutionary GenomicsGlobe InstituteUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Vasco Elbrecht
- Department of Environmental Systems ScienceETH ZurichZürichSwitzerland
| | - Christian Carøe
- Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesSection for Evolutionary GenomicsGlobe InstituteUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Iliana Bista
- Department of GeneticsUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Tree of LifeWellcome Sanger InstituteHinxtonUK
| | - Florian Leese
- Aquatic Ecosystem ResearchFaculty of BiologyUniversity of Duisburg‐EssenEssenGermany
| | - Michael Bunce
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) LaboratorySchool of Molecular and Life SciencesCurtin UniversityPerthWAAustralia
| | - Douglas W. Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and EvolutionKunming Institute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
- School of Biological SciencesNorwich Research ParkUniversity of East AngliaNorwichUK
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and GeneticsChinese Academy of SciencesKunming YunnanChina
| | - Mathew Seymour
- Department of EcologySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsalaSweden
| | | | - Simon Creer
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution GroupSchool of Natural SciencesBangor UniversityGwyneddUK
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22
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Homma C, Inokuchi D, Nakamura Y, Uy WH, Ohnishi K, Yamaguchi H, Adachi M. Effectiveness of blocking primers and a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) clamp for 18S metabarcoding dietary analysis of herbivorous fish. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0266268. [PMID: 35442965 PMCID: PMC9020718 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The structure of food webs and carbon flow in aquatic ecosystems can be better understood by studying contributing factors such as the diets of herbivorous fish. Metabarcoding using a high-throughput sequencer has recently been used to clarify prey organisms of various fish except herbivorous fish. Since sequences of predator fish have dominated in sequences obtained by metabarcoding, we investigated a method for suppressing the amplification of fish DNA by using a blocking primer or peptide nucleic acid (PNA) clamp to determine the prey organisms of herbivorous fish. We designed three blocking primers and one PNA clamp that anneal to fish-specific sequences and examined how efficient they were in suppressing DNA amplification in various herbivorous fish. The results showed that the PNA clamp completely suppressed fish DNA amplification, and one of the blocking primers suppressed fish DNA amplification but less efficiently than the PNA clamp. Finally, we conducted metabarcoding using mock community samples as templates to determine whether the blocking primer or the PNA clamp was effective in suppressing fish DNA amplification. The results showed that the PNA clamp suppressed 99.3%-99.9% of fish DNA amplification, whereas the blocking primer suppressed 3.3%-32.9%. Therefore, we propose the application of the PNA clamp for clarifying the prey organisms and food preferences of various herbivorous fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiho Homma
- The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan
| | - Daiki Inokuchi
- Faculty of Agriculture and Marine Science, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan
| | - Yohei Nakamura
- Faculty of Agriculture and Marine Science, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan
| | - Wilfredo H. Uy
- Institute of Fisheries Research and Development, Mindanao State University at Naawan, Naawan, Misamis Oriental, Philippines
| | - Kouhei Ohnishi
- The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan
- Faculty of Agriculture and Marine Science, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan
| | - Haruo Yamaguchi
- The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan
- Faculty of Agriculture and Marine Science, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan
| | - Masao Adachi
- The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan
- Faculty of Agriculture and Marine Science, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan
- * E-mail:
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23
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Mandible shape variation and feeding biomechanics in minks. Sci Rep 2022; 12:4997. [PMID: 35322070 PMCID: PMC8943020 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08754-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
European and American minks are very similar in ecology, behavior and morphology. Both species hunt terrestrial vertebrates and aquatic prey, but the American mink is a more generalist predator which, among other factors, allows it to outcompete the European mink in areas where it has been introduced. We used 3D geometric morphometrics and estimates of muscle mechanical advantage to assess the degree of variation in mandibular morphology, and to determine whether such variation reflects dietary differences between the two species. The three main axes of variation represented interspecific differences, a common allometric trajectory between species and sexes, and the interspecific effect of sexual size dimorphism, with males having overall stronger bites than females. Differences in mandible shape and biomechanical parameters suggest that American minks are better equipped for preying on terrestrial vertebrates, while the features seen in European mink could be related to tougher prey, fish capture, or both. Additionally, within each species, the larger specimens of each sex present indicators of a higher percentage of terrestrial prey in their diet. These results indicate a low potential dietary overlap between both species, suggesting that factors other than prey competition may have a role in the decline of the European mink.
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Schmiedová L, Tomášek O, Pinkasová H, Albrecht T, Kreisinger J. Variation in diet composition and its relation to gut microbiota in a passerine bird. Sci Rep 2022; 12:3787. [PMID: 35260644 PMCID: PMC8904835 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07672-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Quality and quantity of food items consumed has a crucial effect on phenotypes. In addition to direct effects mediated by nutrient resources, an individual’s diet can also affect the phenotype indirectly by altering its gut microbiota, a potent modulator of physiological, immunity and cognitive functions. However, most of our knowledge of diet-microbiota interactions is based on mammalian species, whereas little is still known about these effects in other vertebrates. We developed a metabarcoding procedure based on cytochrome c oxidase I high-throughput amplicon sequencing and applied it to describe diet composition in breeding colonies of an insectivorous bird, the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica). To identify putative diet-microbiota associations, we integrated the resulting diet profiles with an existing dataset for faecal microbiota in the same individual. Consistent with previous studies based on macroscopic analysis of diet composition, we found that Diptera, Hemiptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera were the dominant dietary components in our population. We revealed pronounced variation in diet consumed during the breeding season, along with significant differences between nearby breeding colonies. In addition, we found no difference in diet composition between adults and juveniles. Finally, our data revealed a correlation between diet and faecal microbiota composition, even after statistical control for environmental factors affecting both diet and microbiota variation. Our study suggests that variation in diet induce slight but significant microbiota changes in a non-mammalian host relying on a narrow spectrum of items consumed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Schmiedová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Vinicna 7 CZ-128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic.
| | - Oldřich Tomášek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Pinkasová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Vinicna 7 CZ-128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Albrecht
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Vinicna 7 CZ-128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic. .,Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Jakub Kreisinger
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Vinicna 7 CZ-128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic
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Draper J, Rodgers T, Young JK. Beating the heat: ecology of desert bobcats. BMC Ecol Evol 2022; 22:25. [PMID: 35246040 PMCID: PMC8896297 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-022-01973-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Relative to temperate regions, little is known about bobcats (Lynx rufus) in the Sonoran Desert portion of their range, in part due to the difficulty of sampling an elusive carnivore in harsh desert environments. Here, we quantify habitat selection and evaluate diet of bobcats at Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona, USA, using multiple sampling techniques including GPS telemetry, camera traps, and DNA metabarcoding. Results Home ranges during the hot season were smaller than during the cool season. Camera trapping failed to yield a high enough detection rate to identify habitat occupancy trends but third-order resource selection from GPS-collar data showed a preference for higher elevations and rugged terrain at lower elevations. Diet composition consisted of a diverse range of available small prey items, including a higher frequency of avian prey than previously observed in bobcats. Conclusions Desert bobcats in our study maintained smaller home ranges and primarily consumed smaller prey than their more northern relatives. This study illustrates the benefit of employing multiple, complementary sampling methods to understand the ecology of elusive species. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12862-022-01973-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Draper
- Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Torrey Rodgers
- Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Julie K Young
- Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA. .,U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Wildlife Research Center - Predator Research Facility, Millville, UT, 84326, USA.
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Littleford‐Colquhoun BL, Freeman PT, Sackett VI, Tulloss CV, McGarvey LM, Geremia C, Kartzinel TR. The precautionary principle and dietary DNA metabarcoding: Commonly used abundance thresholds change ecological interpretation. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:1615-1626. [PMID: 35043486 PMCID: PMC9303378 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Dietary DNA metabarcoding enables researchers to identify and characterize trophic interactions with a high degree of taxonomic precision. It is also sensitive to sources of bias and contamination in the field and laboratory. One of the earliest and most common strategies for dealing with such sensitivities has been to remove all low-abundance sequences and conduct ecological analyses based on the presence or absence of food taxa. Although this step is now often perceived to be necessary, evidence of its sufficiency is lacking and more attention to the risk of introducing other errors is needed. Using computer simulations, we demonstrate that common strategies to remove low-abundance sequences can erroneously eliminate true dietary sequences in ways that impact downstream inferences. Using real data from well-studied wildlife populations in Yellowstone National Park, we further show how these strategies can markedly alter the composition of dietary profiles in ways that scale-up to obscure ecological interpretations about dietary generalism, specialism, and composition. Although the practice of removing low-abundance sequences may continue to be a useful strategy to address research questions that focus on a subset of relatively abundant foods, its continued widespread use risks generating misleading perceptions about the structure of trophic networks. Researchers working with dietary DNA metabarcoding data-or similar data such as environmental DNA, microbiomes, or pathobiomes-should be aware of drawbacks and consider alternative bioinformatic, experimental, and statistical solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethan L. Littleford‐Colquhoun
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal BiologyBrown UniversityProvidenceRhode IslandUSA,Institute at Brown for Environment and SocietyBrown UniversityProvidenceRhode IslandUSA
| | - Patrick T. Freeman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal BiologyBrown UniversityProvidenceRhode IslandUSA,Institute at Brown for Environment and SocietyBrown UniversityProvidenceRhode IslandUSA
| | - Violet I. Sackett
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal BiologyBrown UniversityProvidenceRhode IslandUSA,Institute at Brown for Environment and SocietyBrown UniversityProvidenceRhode IslandUSA
| | - Camille V. Tulloss
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal BiologyBrown UniversityProvidenceRhode IslandUSA,Institute at Brown for Environment and SocietyBrown UniversityProvidenceRhode IslandUSA
| | - Lauren M. McGarvey
- Yellowstone Center for Resources, Yellowstone National ParkMammoth Hot SpringsWyomingUSA
| | - Chris Geremia
- Yellowstone Center for Resources, Yellowstone National ParkMammoth Hot SpringsWyomingUSA
| | - Tyler R. Kartzinel
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal BiologyBrown UniversityProvidenceRhode IslandUSA,Institute at Brown for Environment and SocietyBrown UniversityProvidenceRhode IslandUSA
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Suraci JP, Smith JA, Chamaillé‐Jammes S, Gaynor KM, Jones M, Luttbeg B, Ritchie EG, Sheriff MJ, Sih A. Beyond spatial overlap: harnessing new technologies to resolve the complexities of predator–prey interactions. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Justine A. Smith
- Dept of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, Univ. of California Davis CA USA
| | - Simon Chamaillé‐Jammes
- CEFE, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD Montpellier France
- Mammal Research Inst., Dept of Zoology&Entomology, Univ. of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
| | - Kaitlyn M. Gaynor
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Univ. of California Santa Barbara CA USA
| | - Menna Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, Univ. of Tasmania Tasmania Australia
| | - Barney Luttbeg
- Dept of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State Univ. Stillwater OK USA
| | - Euan G. Ritchie
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin Univ. Burwood VIC Australia
| | | | - Andrew Sih
- Dept of Environmental Science and Policy, Univ. of California Davis CA USA
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Kim J, Lee WY, Park S. Trophic relations based on fecal DNA in tundra terrestrial food webs near Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, Norway. Polar Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-022-03022-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Spatial Distribution and Dietary Niche Breadth of Leopard Cats ( Prionailurus bengalensis) Inhabiting Margalla Hills National Park, Pakistan. Zool Stud 2021; 60:e34. [PMID: 34963787 DOI: 10.6620/zs.2021.60-34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) is distributed throughout the Himalayan foothills in Pakistan and occurs in moist temperate and dry coniferous forests. However, the cat species is categorized as "Data Deficient" in Pakistan. In the current study we aimed to investigate the leopard cat distribution and dietary niche in the Margalla Hills National Park, the lowest part of the Himalayan foothills in Pakistan. We recorded direct (field observations, camera trapping) and indirect signs (scats) of the species on 23 trails /tracks in the study area. The leopard cat was recorded at 13 different sampling sites in the park, with an altitudinal range between 664-1441 m asl. The diet composition of the species was investigated through scat analysis, with the species identity of the scats confirmed through the mitochondrial cytB region. The species' diet comprised both animal and plant matter. The animal-based diet (in terms of frequency of occurrence) contained wild (51.75%) as well as domestic prey (7.69%), and plant species (31.47%). Wild prey included small mammals (rodents, two mongoose species, Asian palm squirrel, and Cape hare), birds, insects and snails. The domestic prey were poultry birds, sheep, goats and dogs. Consumption of wild prey was higher in summer (n = 31 scat), whereas intake of domestic prey was higher in winter (n = 37 scats). The dietary niche breadth was wider 14.84 in summer than winter 10.67. A chi-square test showed a significant difference in seasonal dietary intake of the leopard cat. The study concludes that the leopard cat feeds mainly on wild animal prey and plant species; however, in winter consumption of domestic prey increases.
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Liu G, Zhang S, Zhao X, Li C, Gong M. Advances and Limitations of Next Generation Sequencing in Animal Diet Analysis. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12121854. [PMID: 34946803 PMCID: PMC8701983 DOI: 10.3390/genes12121854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Diet analysis is a critical content of animal ecology and the diet analysis methods have been constantly improving and updating. Contrary to traditional methods of high labor intensity and low resolution, the next generation sequencing (NGS) approach has been suggested as a promising tool for dietary studies, which greatly improves the efficiency and broadens the application range. Here we present a framework of adopting NGS and DNA metabarcoding into diet analysis, and discuss the application in aspects of prey taxa composition and structure, intra-specific and inter-specific trophic links, and the effects of animal feeding on environmental changes. Yet, the generation of NGS-based diet data and subsequent analyses and interpretations are still challenging with several factors, making it possible still not as widely used as might be expected. We suggest that NGS-based diet methods must be furthered, analytical pipelines should be developed. More application perspectives, including nutrient geometry, metagenomics and nutrigenomics, need to be incorporated to encourage more ecologists to infer novel insights on they work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecological Function and Restoration in Beijing City, Wetland Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100091, China; (G.L.); (X.Z.); (C.L.)
| | - Shumiao Zhang
- Beijing Milu Ecological Research Center, Beijing 100076, China;
| | - Xinsheng Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecological Function and Restoration in Beijing City, Wetland Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100091, China; (G.L.); (X.Z.); (C.L.)
| | - Chao Li
- Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecological Function and Restoration in Beijing City, Wetland Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100091, China; (G.L.); (X.Z.); (C.L.)
| | - Minghao Gong
- Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecological Function and Restoration in Beijing City, Wetland Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100091, China; (G.L.); (X.Z.); (C.L.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-010-62884159
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Shao X, Lu Q, Xiong M, Bu H, Shi X, Wang D, Zhao J, Li S, Yao M. Prey partitioning and livestock consumption in the world's richest large carnivore assemblage. Curr Biol 2021; 31:4887-4897.e5. [PMID: 34551283 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.08.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Large mammalian carnivores have undergone catastrophic declines during the Anthropocene across the world. Despite their pivotal roles as apex predators in food webs and ecosystem dynamics, few detailed dietary datasets of large carnivores exist, prohibiting deep understanding of their coexistence and persistence in human-dominated landscapes. Here, we present fine-scaled, quantitative trophic interactions among sympatric carnivores from three assemblages in the Mountains of Southwest China, a global biodiversity hotspot harboring the world's richest large-carnivore diversity, derived from DNA metabarcoding of 1,097 fecal samples. These assemblages comprise a large-carnivore guild ranging from zero to five species along with two mesocarnivore species. We constructed predator-prey food webs for each assemblage and identified 95 vertebrate prey taxa and 260 feeding interactions in sum. Each carnivore species consumed 6-39 prey taxa, and dietary diversity decreased with increased carnivore body mass across guilds. Dietary partitioning was more evident between large-carnivore and mesocarnivore guilds, yet different large carnivores showed divergent proportional utilization of different-sized prey correlating with their own body masses. Large carnivores particularly selected livestock in Tibetan-dominated regions, where the indigenous people show high tolerance toward wild predators. Our results suggest that dietary niche partitioning and livestock subsidies facilitate large-carnivore sympatry and persistence and have key implications for sustainable conservation promoting human-carnivore coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinning Shao
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Qi Lu
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Mengyin Xiong
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Hongliang Bu
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xiaoyun Shi
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Dajun Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jindong Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Sheng Li
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
| | - Meng Yao
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
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32
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Lee CI, Wang FY, Liu MY, Chou TK, Liao TY. DNA metabarcoding for dietary analysis of Holland's carp (Spinibarbus hollandi) to evaluate the threat to native fishes in Taiwan. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2021; 99:1668-1676. [PMID: 34392529 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 06/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
DNA metabarcoding analysis for gut contents has been shown to compensate the disadvantage of traditionally morphological identification and offer higher resolution of prey items in an efficient way. Holland's carp (Spinibarbus hollandi) is a freshwater fish native to southern and eastern Taiwan. In the past two decades, this species has been introduced as a sport fish into the river basins of northern and western Taiwan. The large body size and active predation make it a potential threat for native fishes, but which native species are preyed by Holland's carp remains unknown. In this study, the diet from the gut contents of Holland's carp from the Zhonggang River, an invaded basin, was examined using DNA metabarcoding from 51 individuals and by morphological examinations on 140 samples. Detritus of plants were found in 83.6% samples (117 individuals). Twenty fish species of seven families were identified by DNA metabarcoding, including species of all water layers. Taiwan torrent carp (Acrossocheilus paradoxus) and Rhinogobius spp. are the most common prey items. Based on the results of this study, Holland's carp is considered an opportunistic omnivore because of its diverse diet items, which is an important trait for successful invasive fish species. The population decline of Opsariichthys pachycephalus may not result from the invasion of Holland's carps. Nonetheless, the time lag between successful invasion and the samplings of this study may be a concern because the population size of O. pachycephalus may have declined and become difficult to prey. The Holland's carps consumed the least species in winter; nonetheless, the occurrence frequencies of preys among seasons were not significantly different probably because of limited temperature fluctuation. The smallest Holland's carps consumed the least prey species compared to other size categories, similar to the relationship of prey species number to size of invasive largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides).
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Affiliation(s)
- Chien-I Lee
- Department of Oceanography, NSYSU, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Feng-Yu Wang
- Taiwan Ocean Research Institute, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Min-Yun Liu
- Taiwan Ocean Research Institute, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Tak-Kei Chou
- Department of Oceanography, NSYSU, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Te-Yu Liao
- Department of Oceanography, NSYSU, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
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Plimpton LD, Henger CS, Munshi-South J, Tufts D, Kross S, Diuk-Wasser M. Use of molecular scatology to assess the diet of feral cats living in urban colonies. JOURNAL OF URBAN ECOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jue/juab022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The overpopulation of domestic cats (Felis catus) presents a serious concern for wildlife conservationists, animal welfare advocates, public health officials, and community members alike. In cities, free-ranging, unowned cats often form high-density groups (commonly called ‘colonies’) around human provisioned food sources. While previous diet studies have primarily utilized morphology-based methods, molecular techniques offer a higher resolution alternative. In this study, we used next-generation sequencing techniques to examine the diet composition of feral cats living in five Trap-Neuter-Return colonies located in urban parks on Staten Island, a borough of New York City. We hypothesized that (1) cats living in urban colonies would still consume natural prey despite being regularly fed and (2) that the composition of taxa represented in the diet of each colony would vary, possibly due to differences in prey availability across sites. In total, 16 vertebrate prey taxa were identified in the diet, 13 at the genus level and 3 at the family level. Despite being regularly fed, 58.2% of cat scats contained DNA from natural prey. The diet composition of the cat colonies differed depending on the land cover composition surrounding the colony with the frequency of native prey positively correlated with the proportion of green space and that of non-native prey with developed land cover types. The use of molecular techniques combined with environmental DNA methods offers a promising, non-invasive approach to assessing the diet and consequently, impact of a highly abundant and non-native predator on the persistence of wildlife communities in cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura D Plimpton
- Columbia University, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, 10th Floor Schermerhorn Extension, 1200 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Carol S Henger
- Louis Calder Center-Biological Field Station, Fordham University, 31 Whippoorwill Road, Armonk, NY 10504, USA
| | - Jason Munshi-South
- Louis Calder Center-Biological Field Station, Fordham University, 31 Whippoorwill Road, Armonk, NY 10504, USA
| | - Danielle Tufts
- Columbia University, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, 10th Floor Schermerhorn Extension, 1200 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Sara Kross
- Columbia University, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, 10th Floor Schermerhorn Extension, 1200 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Maria Diuk-Wasser
- Columbia University, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, 10th Floor Schermerhorn Extension, 1200 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027, USA
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Rais M, Ahmed W, Sajjad A, Akram A, Saeed M, Hamid HN, Abid A. Amphibian fauna of Pakistan with notes on future prospects of research and conservation. Zookeys 2021; 1062:157-175. [PMID: 34720620 PMCID: PMC8536617 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1062.66913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on amphibians and their conservation have gained worldwide attention, as the group includes the highest number of threatened and Data Deficient species when compared to other vertebrates. However, amphibians have long been neglected in wildlife conservation, management decisions, policy making, and research agendas in Pakistan. In this paper, an annotated checklist of the 21 amphibian species of Pakistan, a key to their identification, and detailed discussions on variation in species, including the genera Minervarya and Sphaerotheca, are provided. We found a statistically significant difference in the morphometric measurements of males but non-significant difference in the females of the two forms (rusty dorsum and dotted dorsum) of S.maskeyi. Some genera, such as Microhyla, Uperodon, Minervarya, Allopaa, Chrysopaa, Euphlyctis, Nanorana, and Sphaerotheca, in Pakistan are in need of additional data for molecular and morphological comparisons with taxa in other South Asian countries. The predicaments of amphibian research in Pakistan are discussed, gaps identified, and suggestions are made. Although the occurrence of chytrid fungus in Pakistan is predicted of low likelihood, a lack of data merits studying the prevalence of the fungus, particularly in the northern regions of the country which exhibit complex and dynamic ecosystems. It is recommended that systematic and coordinated surveys are conducted throughout the country to build a database of species occurrences and distributions. Additionally, the monitoring of wild populations and threat mitigation, as well as appropriate legislation, are suggested as long-term measures. By adopting an inclusive wildlife conservation approach in Pakistan, amphibians could be integrated into wildlife conservation and management efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Rais
- Herpetology Lab, Department of Wildlife Management, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Rawalpindi, 46300, PakistanPir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture UniversityRawalpindiPakistan
| | - Waseem Ahmed
- Herpetology Lab, Department of Wildlife Management, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Rawalpindi, 46300, PakistanPir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture UniversityRawalpindiPakistan
| | - Anum Sajjad
- Department of Environmental Sciences, International Islamic University, Islamabad, PakistanInternational Islamic UniversityIslamabadPakistan
| | - Ayesha Akram
- Herpetology Lab, Department of Wildlife Management, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Rawalpindi, 46300, PakistanPir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture UniversityRawalpindiPakistan
| | - Muhammad Saeed
- Herpetology Lab, Department of Wildlife Management, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Rawalpindi, 46300, PakistanPir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture UniversityRawalpindiPakistan
| | - Hannan Nasib Hamid
- Herpetology Lab, Department of Wildlife Management, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Rawalpindi, 46300, PakistanPir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture UniversityRawalpindiPakistan
| | - Aamina Abid
- Herpetology Lab, Department of Wildlife Management, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Rawalpindi, 46300, PakistanPir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture UniversityRawalpindiPakistan
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Diet, parasites, and other pathogens of Sunda leopard cats ( Prionailurus javanensis Desmarest 1816) in Aborlan, Palawan Island, Philippines. J Parasit Dis 2021; 45:627-633. [PMID: 34475642 DOI: 10.1007/s12639-020-01335-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
This study is the first investigation of parasites and other pathogens present in Sunda leopard cats (Prionailurus javanensis) in Aborlan, Palawan, Philippines. With the nature of wild carnivore sampling, four (4) wild Sunda leopard cats were captured in Aborlan, Palawan, Philippines for a period of nine (9) months. Of these, three (3) were considered for blood and fecal examination due to the poor condition of one animal. Rapid diagnostic kits were used to detect the presence of selected pathogens in blood samples while fecal samples were examined for parasite fauna and diet contents. Nine (9) parasite species were identified namely: Toxoplasma gondii, Ancylostoma sp., Capillaria hepatica, Echinostoma sp., Hymenolepis nana, Isospora felis, Physaloptera sp., Trichostrongylus sp., and a fasciolid. Chlamydophila felis, a bacterial pathogen was also detected in the blood. No individuals were found to be positive for feline immunodeficiency virus, feline infectious peritonitis virus, and feline leukemia virus antibodies. Six (6) small mammal prey species were identified from the feces of Sunda leopard cats namely: Palawan spiny rat (Maxomys panglima), Asian house rat (Rattus tanezumi), Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans), house mouse (Mus musculus), Southern Palawan tree squirrel (Sundasciurus steerii), and Palawan treeshrew (Tupaia palawanensis). Sunda leopard cats in Aborlan, Palawan, may be highly infected by parasites primarily due to their diet of small mammals such as rodents. Transmission is also possible through environmental contact with contaminated water or soil or direct physical contact with infected domestic animals. This paper contributes to the knowledge on host-parasite systems in wildlife ecosystem in the Philippines which is extremely poorly understood.
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Pugesek G, Mumma MA, Mahoney SP, Waits LP. Molecular evaluation of American black bear prey consumption following diversionary feeding. URSUS 2021. [DOI: 10.2192/ursus-d-20-00027.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Genevieve Pugesek
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Matthew A. Mumma
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Shane P. Mahoney
- Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 4J6, Canada
| | - Lisette P. Waits
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
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Di Bernardi C, Wikenros C, Hedmark E, Boitani L, Ciucci P, Sand H, Åkesson M. Multiple species-specific molecular markers using nanofluidic array as a tool to detect prey DNA from carnivore scats. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:11739-11748. [PMID: 34522337 PMCID: PMC8427573 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Large carnivore feeding ecology plays a crucial role for management and conservation for predators and their prey. One of the keys to this kind of research is to identify the species composition in the predator diet, for example, prey determination from scat content. DNA-based methods applied to detect prey in predators' scats are viable alternatives to traditional macroscopic approaches, showing an increased reliability and higher prey detection rate. Here, we developed a molecular method for prey species identification in wolf (Canis lupus) scats using multiple species-specific marker loci on the cytochrome b gene for 18 target species. The final panel consisted of 80 assays, with a minimum of four markers per target species, and that amplified specifically when using a high-throughput Nanofluidic array technology (Fluidigm Inc.). As a practical example, we applied the method to identify target prey species DNA in 80 wolf scats collected in Sweden. Depending on the number of amplifying markers required to obtain a positive species call in a scat, the success in determining at least one prey species from the scats ranged from 44% to 92%. Although we highlight the need to evaluate the optimal number of markers for sensitive target species detection, the developed method is a fast and cost-efficient tool for prey identification in wolf scats and it also has the potential to be further developed and applied to other areas and large carnivores as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Di Bernardi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin" University of Rome La Sapienza Rome Italy
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Riddarhyttan Sweden
| | - Camilla Wikenros
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Riddarhyttan Sweden
| | - Eva Hedmark
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Riddarhyttan Sweden
| | - Luigi Boitani
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin" University of Rome La Sapienza Rome Italy
| | - Paolo Ciucci
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin" University of Rome La Sapienza Rome Italy
| | - Håkan Sand
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Riddarhyttan Sweden
| | - Mikael Åkesson
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Riddarhyttan Sweden
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Tosa MI, Dziedzic EH, Appel CL, Urbina J, Massey A, Ruprecht J, Eriksson CE, Dolliver JE, Lesmeister DB, Betts MG, Peres CA, Levi T. The Rapid Rise of Next-Generation Natural History. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.698131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Many ecologists have lamented the demise of natural history and have attributed this decline to a misguided view that natural history is outdated and unscientific. Although there is a perception that the focus in ecology and conservation have shifted away from descriptive natural history research and training toward hypothetico-deductive research, we argue that natural history has entered a new phase that we call “next-generation natural history.” This renaissance of natural history is characterized by technological and statistical advances that aid in collecting detailed observations systematically over broad spatial and temporal extents. The technological advances that have increased exponentially in the last decade include electronic sensors such as camera-traps and acoustic recorders, aircraft- and satellite-based remote sensing, animal-borne biologgers, genetics and genomics methods, and community science programs. Advances in statistics and computation have aided in analyzing a growing quantity of observations to reveal patterns in nature. These robust next-generation natural history datasets have transformed the anecdotal perception of natural history observations into systematically collected observations that collectively constitute the foundation for hypothetico-deductive research and can be leveraged and applied to conservation and management. These advances are encouraging scientists to conduct and embrace detailed descriptions of nature that remain a critically important component of the scientific endeavor. Finally, these next-generation natural history observations are engaging scientists and non-scientists alike with new documentations of the wonders of nature. Thus, we celebrate next-generation natural history for encouraging people to experience nature directly.
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Kim J, Joo S, Park S. Diet composition of Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) from the Han River Estuary Wetland in Korea using fecal DNA. MAMMALIA 2021. [DOI: 10.1515/mammalia-2021-0010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
To investigate the foraging preferences of the Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) from the Janghang wetlands located in Han River estuary in South Korea, we elucidated their diet compositions using DNA extracted from their fecal samples. Samples were collected from the Janghang wetlands from June 2013 to January 2015. For dietary analysis, we amplified the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) and the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (rbcL) regions, followed by cloning and sequencing. We were able to detect 20 families and 35 genera of plants from 77 fecal samples, showing that water deer in the Janghang wetlands mainly preferred Salicaceae (27.5%), Fabaceae (17.5%), and Poaceae (14.2%). In winter, the relative frequency of woody plant detection (81.3%) was much higher than that in other seasons. Our results suggest that Korean water deer in Janghang wetlands browse or graze depending on the locally-available plants species in their habitat as intermediate feeders. Non-invasive approaches using fecal samples could be applied to study food webs of various species and ecosystems for conservation and management of wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihee Kim
- Department of Biological Science , Ajou University , Suwon 16499 , Republic of Korea
| | - Sungbae Joo
- Division of Ecological Information , National Institute of Ecology , Seocheon 33657 , Republic of Korea
| | - Sangkyu Park
- Department of Biological Science , Ajou University , Suwon 16499 , Republic of Korea
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Jang‐Liaw N. A barcoding-based scat-analysis assessment of Eurasian otter Lutra lutra diet on Kinmen Island. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:8795-8813. [PMID: 34257929 PMCID: PMC8258194 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
While it is well known that Eurasian otters principally feed on fishes and crustaceans, their detailed diet taxonomies are not fully understood. This is partly due to their nocturnal behavior and the limited resolving power of traditional morphological identification from scat. A suitable, reliable molecular method for diet studies is therefore needed.I performed a series of Sanger-sequencing reactions, utilizing nine primer sets for Eurasian otter diet research. These are mainly based on the barcoding concept to determine the taxonomic composition of spraints. The primer sets target different types of animals, amplifying each separately. This procedure was used to detect the prey contents of 64 spraint samples collected from Kinmen Island. Through high-resolution gel electrophoresis and sequencing, it was evident that PCR products could be successfully amplified by the different primer sets and from spraint samples comprising multiple prey species.Extracted DNA from all spraint samples was PCR-amplified with 9 primer sets. In total, 16 prey types were identified across all 64 samples. Fourteen were identified at the species level.The aim of this study was to develop and apply a novel diet research method to Eurasian otters. Eight of the primers are universal primers designed for COI segments of different animal groups, and one primer set was designed specifically for tilapia groups. This method can be applied to study the diets of not only Kinmen Eurasian otter populations, but also other Eurasian otter populations and other small carnivorous animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nian‐Hong Jang‐Liaw
- Conservation Genetics LaboratoryConservation and Research CenterTaipei ZooTaipei CityTaiwan
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41
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Massey AL, Roffler GH, Vermeul T, Allen JM, Levi T. Comparison of mechanical sorting and DNA metabarcoding for diet analysis with fresh and degraded wolf scats. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Aimee L. Massey
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon97331USA
| | - Gretchen H. Roffler
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Wildlife Conservation P.O. Box 110024 Juneau Alaska99811USA
| | - Tessa Vermeul
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon97331USA
| | - Jennifer M. Allen
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon97331USA
| | - Taal Levi
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon97331USA
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42
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Carlisle AB, Allan EA, Kim SL, Meyer L, Port J, Scherrer S, O'Sullivan J. Integrating multiple chemical tracers to elucidate the diet and habitat of Cookiecutter Sharks. Sci Rep 2021; 11:11809. [PMID: 34083578 PMCID: PMC8175345 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89903-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The Cookiecutter shark (Isistius brasiliensis) is an ectoparasitic, mesopelagic shark that is known for removing plugs of tissue from larger prey, including teleosts, chondrichthyans, cephalopods, and marine mammals. Although this species is widely distributed throughout the world’s tropical and subtropical oceanic waters, like many deep-water species, it remains very poorly understood due to its mesopelagic distribution. We used a suite of biochemical tracers, including stable isotope analysis (SIA), fatty acid analysis (FAA), and environmental DNA (eDNA), to investigate the trophic ecology of this species in the Central Pacific around Hawaii. We found that large epipelagic prey constituted a relatively minor part of the overall diet. Surprisingly, small micronektonic and forage species (meso- and epipelagic) are the most important prey group for Cookiecutter sharks across the studied size range (17–43 cm total length), with larger mesopelagic species or species that exhibit diel vertical migration also being important prey. These results were consistent across all the tracer techniques employed. Our results indicate that Cookiecutter sharks play a unique role in pelagic food webs, feeding on prey ranging from the largest apex predators to small, low trophic level species, in particular those that overlap with the depth distribution of the sharks throughout the diel cycle. We also found evidence of a potential shift in diet and/or habitat with size and season. Environmental DNA metabarcoding revealed new prey items for Cookiecutter sharks while also demonstrating that eDNA can be used to identify recent prey in stomachs frozen for extended periods. Integrating across chemical tracers is a powerful tool for investigating the ecology of elusive and difficult to study species, such as meso- and bathypelagic chondrichthyans, and can increase the amount of information gained from small sample sizes. Better resolving the foraging ecology of these mesopelagic predators is critical for effective conservation and management of these taxa and ecosystems, which are intrinsically vulnerable to overfishing and exploitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron B Carlisle
- School of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware, Lewes, DE, USA.
| | - Elizabeth Andruszkiewicz Allan
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA.,School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - Sora L Kim
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Lauren Meyer
- Southern Shark Ecology Group, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia.,Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jesse Port
- Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Monterey, CA, USA
| | - Stephen Scherrer
- Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA
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Ingala MR, Simmons NB, Wultsch C, Krampis K, Provost KL, Perkins SL. Molecular diet analysis of neotropical bats based on fecal DNA metabarcoding. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:7474-7491. [PMID: 34188828 PMCID: PMC8216975 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Bat communities in the Neotropics are some of the most speciose assemblages of mammals on Earth, with regions supporting more than 100 sympatric species with diverse feeding ecologies. Because bats are small, nocturnal, and volant, it is difficult to directly observe their feeding habits, which has resulted in their classification into broadly defined dietary guilds (e.g., insectivores, carnivores, and frugivores). Apart from these broad guilds, we lack detailed dietary information for many species and therefore have only a limited understanding of interaction networks linking bats and their diet items. In this study, we used DNA metabarcoding of plants, arthropods, and vertebrates to investigate the diets of 25 bat species from the tropical dry forests of Lamanai, Belize. Our results report some of the first detection of diet items for the focal bat taxa, adding rich and novel natural history information to the field of bat ecology. This study represents a comprehensive first effort to apply DNA metabarcoding to bat diets at Lamanai and provides a useful methodological framework for future studies testing hypotheses about coexistence and niche differentiation in the context of modern high-throughput molecular data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa R. Ingala
- Division of MammalsDepartment of Vertebrate ZoologyNational Museum of Natural HistorySmithsonian InstitutionWashingtonDCUSA
- Richard Gilder Graduate SchoolThe American Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNYUSA
- Department of Mammalogy, Division of Vertebrate ZoologyThe American Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNYUSA
- Division of Invertebrate ZoologyThe American Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNYUSA
| | - Nancy B. Simmons
- Department of Mammalogy, Division of Vertebrate ZoologyThe American Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNYUSA
| | - Claudia Wultsch
- Sackler Institute for Comparative GenomicsThe American Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNYUSA
- Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics LaboratoryHunter CollegeCity University of New YorkNew YorkNYUSA
| | - Konstantinos Krampis
- Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics LaboratoryHunter CollegeCity University of New YorkNew YorkNYUSA
- Department of Biological SciencesHunter CollegeCity University of New YorkNew YorkNYUSA
- Institute of Computational BiomedicineWeill Cornell Medical CollegeNew YorkNYUSA
| | - Kaiya L. Provost
- Richard Gilder Graduate SchoolThe American Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNYUSA
- Department of OrnithologyThe American Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNYUSA
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal BiologyThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOHUSA
| | - Susan L. Perkins
- Division of Invertebrate ZoologyThe American Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNYUSA
- Sackler Institute for Comparative GenomicsThe American Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNYUSA
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Yang C, Bohmann K, Wang X, Cai W, Wales N, Ding Z, Gopalakrishnan S, Yu DW. Biodiversity Soup II: A bulk‐sample metabarcoding pipeline emphasizing error reduction. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chunyan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution Kunming Institute of ZoologyChinese Academy of Sciences Kunming China
| | - Kristine Bohmann
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics Globe Institute Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
| | - Xiaoyang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution Kunming Institute of ZoologyChinese Academy of Sciences Kunming China
| | - Wang Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution Kunming Institute of ZoologyChinese Academy of Sciences Kunming China
| | - Nathan Wales
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics Globe Institute Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
- Department of Archaeology University of York York UK
| | - Zhaoli Ding
- Biodiversity Genomics Center Kunming Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences Kunming China
| | - Shyam Gopalakrishnan
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics Globe Institute Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
| | - Douglas W. Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution Kunming Institute of ZoologyChinese Academy of Sciences Kunming China
- School of Biological Sciences University of East AngliaNorwich Research Park Norwich UK
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics Chinese Academy of Sciences Kunming China
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Comprehensive coverage of human last meal components revealed by a forensic DNA metabarcoding approach. Sci Rep 2021; 11:8876. [PMID: 33893381 PMCID: PMC8065038 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88418-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Stomach content analyses are a valuable tool in human forensic science to interpret perimortem events. While the identification of food components of plant and animal origin has traditionally been conducted by macro- and microscopical approaches in case of incomplete digestion, molecular methods provide the potential to increase sensitivity and taxonomic resolution. In particular, DNA metabarcoding (PCR-amplification and next generation sequencing of complex DNA mixtures) has seen a rapid growth in the field of wildlife ecology to assess species’ diets from faecal and gastric samples. Despite clear advantages, molecular approaches have not yet been established in routine human forensics to investigate the last meal components of deceased persons. In this pilot study we applied for the first time a DNA metabarcoding approach to assess both plant and vertebrate components of 48 human stomach content samples taken during medicolegal autopsies. We obtained a final dataset with 34 vertebrate and 124 vegetal unique sequences, that were clustered to 9 and 33 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), respectively. Our results suggest that this approach can provide crucial information about circumstances preceding death, and open promising perspectives for biomedical dietary surveys based on digested food items found in the gastrointestinal tract.
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Böhm C, Landmann A. Carnivory in the Alpine marmot ( Marmota marmota): An underestimated phenomenon? ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2020.1837964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christiane Böhm
- Alpenzoo Innsbruck, Weiherburggasse 37a, 6020 Innsbruck, Tirol, Austria
| | - Armin Landmann
- Institute of Zoology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstrasse 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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Use of genetic tools to assess predation on reintroduced howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya) in Northeastern Argentina. Primates 2021; 62:521-528. [PMID: 33609193 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-021-00896-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Despite strong support from the media, the reintroduction of animals into natural environments does not always achieve its goal. Alouatta caraya is the primate species facing the greatest hunting pressure due to the illegal pet trade in Argentina. Confiscations of this species are common, as is the voluntary surrender of animals by owners no longer able or willing to care for them. These animals ultimately arrive at rehabilitation centers and, in many cases, are released into natural environments that may differ from the original sites where they were captured. Until recently, the lack of genetic analysis of the individuals involved led to biased relocation decisions. We followed the reintroduction of 12 A. caraya individuals in a protected area (Isla Palacio, Misiones, Argentina). The presence of potential predators such as pumas (Puma concolor) and jaguars (Panthera onca) in this area was confirmed by camera traps, footprints and feces. After the disappearance of four A. caraya at the reintroduction site, we investigated the applicability of genetic assignment tests based on genotypic data to accurately identify predated individuals. Genetic analyses allowed us to determine the predator species (P. onca) and to identify the predated individuals as two of the reintroduced animals. This procedure is promising for identifying the remains of predated individuals, and can contribute to the design of reintroduction policies based on scientific evidence.
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Prey partitioning between sympatric wild carnivores revealed by DNA metabarcoding: a case study on wolf (Canis lupus) and coyote (Canis latrans) in northeastern Washington. CONSERV GENET 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-021-01337-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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49
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Discovery of a colossal slickhead (Alepocephaliformes: Alepocephalidae): an active-swimming top predator in the deep waters of Suruga Bay, Japan. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2490. [PMID: 33495481 PMCID: PMC7835233 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80203-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A novel species of the family Alepocephalidae (slickheads), Narcetes shonanmaruae, is described based on four specimens collected at depths greater than 2171 m in Suruga Bay, Japan. Compared to other alepocephalids, this species is colossal (reaching ca. 140 cm in total length and 25 kg in body weight) and possesses a unique combination of morphological characters comprising anal fin entirely behind the dorsal fin, multiserial teeth on jaws, more scale rows than congeners, precaudal vertebrae less than 30, seven branchiostegal rays, two epurals, and head smaller than those of relatives. Mitogenomic analyses also support the novelty of this large deep-sea slickhead. Although most slickheads are benthopelagic or mesopelagic feeders of gelatinous zooplankton, behavioural observations and dietary analyses indicate that the new species is piscivorous. In addition, a stable nitrogen isotope analysis of specific amino acids showed that N. shonanmaruae occupies one of the highest trophic positions reported from marine environments to date. Video footage recorded using a baited camera deployed at a depth of 2572 m in Suruga Bay revealed the active swimming behaviour of this slickhead. The scavenging ability and broad gape of N. shonanmaruae might be correlated with its colossal body size and relatively high trophic position.
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50
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Harper LR, Watson HV, Donnelly R, Hampshire R, Sayer CD, Breithaupt T, Hänfling B. Using DNA metabarcoding to investigate diet and niche partitioning in the native European otter (Lutra lutra) and invasive American mink (Neovison vison). METABARCODING AND METAGENOMICS 2020. [DOI: 10.3897/mbmg.4.56087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In the UK, the native European otter (Lutra lutra) and invasive American mink (Neovison vison) have experienced concurrent declines and expansions. Currently, the otter is recovering from persecution and waterway pollution, whereas the mink is in decline due to population control and probable interspecific interaction with the otter. We explored the potential of DNA metabarcoding for investigating diet and niche partitioning between these mustelids. Otter spraints (n = 171) and mink scats (n = 19) collected from three sites (Malham Tarn, River Hull and River Glaven) in northern and eastern England were screened for vertebrates using high-throughput sequencing. Otter diet mainly comprised aquatic fishes (81.0%) and amphibians (12.7%), whereas mink diet predominantly consisted of terrestrial birds (55.9%) and mammals (39.6%). The mink used a lower proportion (20%) of available prey (n = 40 taxa) than the otter and low niche overlap (0.267) was observed between these mustelids. Prey taxon richness of mink scats was lower than otter spraints and beta diversity of prey communities was driven by taxon turnover (i.e. the otter and mink consumed different prey taxa). Considering otter diet only, prey taxon richness was higher in spraints from the River Hull catchment and beta diversity of prey communities was driven by taxon turnover (i.e. the otter consumed different prey taxa at each site). Studies using morphological faecal analysis may misidentify the predator as well as prey items. Faecal DNA metabarcoding can resolve these issues and provide more accurate and detailed dietary information. When scaled up across multiple habitat types, DNA metabarcoding should greatly improve future understanding of resource use and niche overlap between the otter and mink.
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