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Elucidating shark diets with DNA metabarcoding from cloacal swabs
Maurits P M van Zinnicq Bergmann1,2, Bautisse D Postaire1, Kirk Gastrich1
1Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, Florida, USA.
Molecular Ecology Resources
|February 2, 2021
Summary
Researchers developed a new DNA-based method using shark fecal DNA (fDNA) to reconstruct diets, improving our understanding of marine food webs and aiding conservation efforts for sharks.
Area of Science:
- Marine biology
- Ecology
- Genetics
Background:
- Understanding animal diets is crucial for ecosystem management.
- High-resolution diet reconstruction tools for marine systems, especially for large vertebrates like sharks, are underdeveloped.
- Traditional methods like stomach content analysis are often impractical for sharks due to observation difficulties and conservation concerns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a novel, non-invasive method for reconstructing the diets of sharks using DNA from fecal samples.
- To assess the efficacy of fecal DNA (fDNA) metabarcoding for identifying teleost prey in sharks.
- To provide a new tool for advancing the study of trophic interactions in marine ecosystems.
Main Methods:
- Applied DNA metabarcoding to prey DNA found in fecal residues (fDNA) collected via cloacal swabs.
- Utilized a 12S rRNA mitochondrial gene primer set to amplify teleost prey DNA.
- Validated the method through a controlled feeding experiment with captive lemon sharks and field application on free-ranging bull sharks.
Main Results:
- Successfully isolated and identified teleost prey DNA from captive shark fDNA without environmental DNA contamination.
- Reconstructed high-resolution teleost dietary information from free-ranging bull shark fDNA, consistent with existing knowledge.
- Demonstrated the potential of fDNA metabarcoding as a viable tool for shark diet analysis.
Conclusions:
- Fecal DNA metabarcoding offers a promising, non-invasive approach to high-resolution diet reconstruction in sharks.
- This method can overcome limitations of traditional techniques, particularly for data-deficient or protected species.
- The technique is expected to be broadly applicable to aquatic vertebrates, significantly advancing ecological and conservation research.
