Using DNA metabarcoding for simultaneous inference of common vampire bat diet and population structure

Area of Science:

• Animal ecology
• Molecular ecology
• Disease ecology

Background:

• Metabarcoding is a powerful tool for analyzing animal diets.
• Co-amplified predator DNA is often underutilized in ecological studies.
• Common vampire bats transmit dangerous pathogens like rabies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate metabarcoding's utility for inferring population structure alongside diet analysis in common vampire bats.
• To provide a scalable and cost-effective method for large-scale ecological assessments.
• To understand the interplay between vampire bat ecology and disease transmission.

Main Methods:

• Collected bloodmeal and fecal samples from common vampire bats across Peru.
• Utilized DNA metabarcoding to analyze both prey DNA and vampire bat DNA.
• Analyzed mitochondrial DNA to determine population structure.

Main Results:

• Metabarcoding successfully identified vertebrate prey in 93.2% of samples.
• Common vampire bats primarily preyed on domestic animals, with one instance of tapir consumption.
• Identified arthropods in 9.3% of samples, likely from ectoparasite consumption.
• Documented distinct mitochondrial geographic population structure in Peruvian common vampire bats.

Conclusions:

• Metabarcoding can simultaneously assess diet and population structure in common vampire bats.
• This integrated approach enhances understanding of disease transmission dynamics.
• The methodology is adaptable for similar studies in other animal species.