Multifaceted DNA metabarcoding: Validation of a noninvasive, next-generation approach to studying bat populations
Abstract
As multiple species of bats are currently experiencing dramatic declines in populations due to white-nose syndrome (WNS) and other factors, conservation managers have an urgent need for data on the ecology and overall status of populations of once-common bat species. Standard approaches to obtain data on bat populations often involve capture and handling, requiring extensive expertise and unavoidably resulting in stress to the bats. New methods to rapidly obtain critical data are needed that minimize both the stress on bats and the spread of WNS. Guano provides a noninvasive source of DNA that includes information from the bat, but also dietary items, parasites, and pathogens. DNA metabarcoding is a high-throughput, DNA-based identification technique to assess the biodiversity of environmental or fecal samples. We investigated the use of multifaceted DNA metabarcoding (MDM), a technique combining next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS), DNA barcodes, and bioinformatic analysis, to simultaneously collect data on multiple parameters of interest (bat species composition, individual genotype, sex ratios, diet, parasites, and presence of WNS) from fecal samples using a single NGS run. We tested the accuracy of each MDM assay using samp...Continue Reading
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Applications of Molecular Barcoding
The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.