Dropping Hints: Estimating the diets of livestock in rangelands using DNA metabarcoding of faeces
The introduction of domesticated animals into new environments can lead to considerable ecological disruption, and it can be difficult to predict their impact on the new ecosystem. In this study, we use faecal metabarcoding to characterize the diets of three ruminant taxa in the rangelands of south-...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Pensoft Publishers
2018-03-01
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| Series: | Metabarcoding and Metagenomics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://mbmg.pensoft.net/article/22467/ |
| _version_ | 1819046883417391104 |
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| author | Timothy Lee Yohannes Alemseged Andrew Mitchell |
| author_facet | Timothy Lee Yohannes Alemseged Andrew Mitchell |
| author_sort | Timothy Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The introduction of domesticated animals into new environments can lead to considerable ecological disruption, and it can be difficult to predict their impact on the new ecosystem. In this study, we use faecal metabarcoding to characterize the diets of three ruminant taxa in the rangelands of south-western New South Wales, Australia. Our study organisms included goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) and two breeds of sheep (Ovis aries): Merinos, which have been present in Australia for over two hundred years, and Dorpers, which were introduced in the 1990s. We used High-Throughput Sequencing methods to sequence the rbcL and ITS2 genes of plants in the faecal samples, and identified the samples using the GenBank and BOLD online databases, as well as a reference collection of sequences from plants collected in the study area. We found that the diets of all three taxa were dominated by the family Malvaceae, and that the Dorper diet was more diverse than the Merino diet at both the family and the species level. We conclude that Dorpers, like Merinos, are potentially a threat to some vulnerable species in the rangelands of New South Wales. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T10:51:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7cfc1ae8ed6e4966ab69e667ce610af9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2534-9708 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T10:51:33Z |
| publishDate | 2018-03-01 |
| publisher | Pensoft Publishers |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Metabarcoding and Metagenomics |
| spelling | doaj.art-7cfc1ae8ed6e4966ab69e667ce610af92022-12-21T19:06:38ZengPensoft PublishersMetabarcoding and Metagenomics2534-97082018-03-01211710.3897/mbmg.2.2246722467Dropping Hints: Estimating the diets of livestock in rangelands using DNA metabarcoding of faecesTimothy Lee0Yohannes Alemseged1Andrew Mitchell2Australian MuseumNSW Department of Primary IndustriesAustralian MuseumThe introduction of domesticated animals into new environments can lead to considerable ecological disruption, and it can be difficult to predict their impact on the new ecosystem. In this study, we use faecal metabarcoding to characterize the diets of three ruminant taxa in the rangelands of south-western New South Wales, Australia. Our study organisms included goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) and two breeds of sheep (Ovis aries): Merinos, which have been present in Australia for over two hundred years, and Dorpers, which were introduced in the 1990s. We used High-Throughput Sequencing methods to sequence the rbcL and ITS2 genes of plants in the faecal samples, and identified the samples using the GenBank and BOLD online databases, as well as a reference collection of sequences from plants collected in the study area. We found that the diets of all three taxa were dominated by the family Malvaceae, and that the Dorper diet was more diverse than the Merino diet at both the family and the species level. We conclude that Dorpers, like Merinos, are potentially a threat to some vulnerable species in the rangelands of New South Wales.https://mbmg.pensoft.net/article/22467/Metabarcoding<i>rbcL</i>ITS2<i>Ovis aries |
| spellingShingle | Timothy Lee Yohannes Alemseged Andrew Mitchell Dropping Hints: Estimating the diets of livestock in rangelands using DNA metabarcoding of faeces Metabarcoding and Metagenomics Metabarcoding <i>rbcL</i> ITS2 <i>Ovis aries |
| title | Dropping Hints: Estimating the diets of livestock in rangelands using DNA metabarcoding of faeces |
| title_full | Dropping Hints: Estimating the diets of livestock in rangelands using DNA metabarcoding of faeces |
| title_fullStr | Dropping Hints: Estimating the diets of livestock in rangelands using DNA metabarcoding of faeces |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dropping Hints: Estimating the diets of livestock in rangelands using DNA metabarcoding of faeces |
| title_short | Dropping Hints: Estimating the diets of livestock in rangelands using DNA metabarcoding of faeces |
| title_sort | dropping hints estimating the diets of livestock in rangelands using dna metabarcoding of faeces |
| topic | Metabarcoding <i>rbcL</i> ITS2 <i>Ovis aries |
| url | https://mbmg.pensoft.net/article/22467/ |
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