DNA metabarcoding of faecal pellets reveals high consumption of yew (Taxus spp.) by caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in a lichen-poor environment
Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are threatened in Canada because of the drastic decline in population size caused primarily by human-induced landscape changes that decrease habitat and increase predation risk. Conservation efforts have largely focused on reducing predators and protectin...
Published in: | FACETS |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Canadian Science Publishing
2022
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2021-0071 https://doaj.org/article/182c7d0a4caa41dbb6b8305f97e2053a |
id |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:182c7d0a4caa41dbb6b8305f97e2053a |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:182c7d0a4caa41dbb6b8305f97e2053a 2023-05-15T18:04:15+02:00 DNA metabarcoding of faecal pellets reveals high consumption of yew (Taxus spp.) by caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in a lichen-poor environment Greniqueca Mitchell Paul J. Wilson Micheline Manseau Bridget Redquest Brent R. Patterson Linda Y. Rutledge 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2021-0071 https://doaj.org/article/182c7d0a4caa41dbb6b8305f97e2053a EN eng Canadian Science Publishing https://facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2021-0071 https://doaj.org/toc/2371-1671 doi:10.1139/facets-2021-0071 2371-1671 https://doaj.org/article/182c7d0a4caa41dbb6b8305f97e2053a FACETS, Vol 7, Iss , Pp 701-717 (2022) conservation diet DNA metabarcoding ITS2 lichen trnL Education L Science Q article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2021-0071 2022-12-30T21:50:15Z Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are threatened in Canada because of the drastic decline in population size caused primarily by human-induced landscape changes that decrease habitat and increase predation risk. Conservation efforts have largely focused on reducing predators and protecting critical habitat, whereas research on dietary niches and the role of potential food constraints in lichen-poor environments is limited. To improve our understanding of dietary niche variability, we used a next-generation sequencing approach with metabarcoding of DNA extracted from faecal pellets of woodland caribou located on Lake Superior in lichen-rich (mainland) and lichen-poor (island) environments. Amplicon sequencing of fungal ITS2 region revealed lichen-associated fungi as predominant in samples from both populations, but amplification at the chloroplast trnL region, which was only successful on island samples, revealed primary consumption of yew (Taxus spp.) based on relative read abundance (83.68%) with dogwood (Cornus spp.; 9.67%) and maple (Acer spp.; 4.10%) also prevalent. These results suggest that conservation efforts for caribou need to consider the availability of food resources beyond lichen to ensure successful outcomes. More broadly, we provide a reliable methodology for assessing ungulate diet from archived faecal pellets that could reveal important dietary shifts over time in response to climate change. Article in Journal/Newspaper Rangifer tarandus Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Canada FACETS 7 701 717 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
conservation diet DNA metabarcoding ITS2 lichen trnL Education L Science Q |
spellingShingle |
conservation diet DNA metabarcoding ITS2 lichen trnL Education L Science Q Greniqueca Mitchell Paul J. Wilson Micheline Manseau Bridget Redquest Brent R. Patterson Linda Y. Rutledge DNA metabarcoding of faecal pellets reveals high consumption of yew (Taxus spp.) by caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in a lichen-poor environment |
topic_facet |
conservation diet DNA metabarcoding ITS2 lichen trnL Education L Science Q |
description |
Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are threatened in Canada because of the drastic decline in population size caused primarily by human-induced landscape changes that decrease habitat and increase predation risk. Conservation efforts have largely focused on reducing predators and protecting critical habitat, whereas research on dietary niches and the role of potential food constraints in lichen-poor environments is limited. To improve our understanding of dietary niche variability, we used a next-generation sequencing approach with metabarcoding of DNA extracted from faecal pellets of woodland caribou located on Lake Superior in lichen-rich (mainland) and lichen-poor (island) environments. Amplicon sequencing of fungal ITS2 region revealed lichen-associated fungi as predominant in samples from both populations, but amplification at the chloroplast trnL region, which was only successful on island samples, revealed primary consumption of yew (Taxus spp.) based on relative read abundance (83.68%) with dogwood (Cornus spp.; 9.67%) and maple (Acer spp.; 4.10%) also prevalent. These results suggest that conservation efforts for caribou need to consider the availability of food resources beyond lichen to ensure successful outcomes. More broadly, we provide a reliable methodology for assessing ungulate diet from archived faecal pellets that could reveal important dietary shifts over time in response to climate change. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Greniqueca Mitchell Paul J. Wilson Micheline Manseau Bridget Redquest Brent R. Patterson Linda Y. Rutledge |
author_facet |
Greniqueca Mitchell Paul J. Wilson Micheline Manseau Bridget Redquest Brent R. Patterson Linda Y. Rutledge |
author_sort |
Greniqueca Mitchell |
title |
DNA metabarcoding of faecal pellets reveals high consumption of yew (Taxus spp.) by caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in a lichen-poor environment |
title_short |
DNA metabarcoding of faecal pellets reveals high consumption of yew (Taxus spp.) by caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in a lichen-poor environment |
title_full |
DNA metabarcoding of faecal pellets reveals high consumption of yew (Taxus spp.) by caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in a lichen-poor environment |
title_fullStr |
DNA metabarcoding of faecal pellets reveals high consumption of yew (Taxus spp.) by caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in a lichen-poor environment |
title_full_unstemmed |
DNA metabarcoding of faecal pellets reveals high consumption of yew (Taxus spp.) by caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in a lichen-poor environment |
title_sort |
dna metabarcoding of faecal pellets reveals high consumption of yew (taxus spp.) by caribou (rangifer tarandus) in a lichen-poor environment |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2021-0071 https://doaj.org/article/182c7d0a4caa41dbb6b8305f97e2053a |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
Rangifer tarandus |
genre_facet |
Rangifer tarandus |
op_source |
FACETS, Vol 7, Iss , Pp 701-717 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2021-0071 https://doaj.org/toc/2371-1671 doi:10.1139/facets-2021-0071 2371-1671 https://doaj.org/article/182c7d0a4caa41dbb6b8305f97e2053a |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2021-0071 |
container_title |
FACETS |
container_volume |
7 |
container_start_page |
701 |
op_container_end_page |
717 |
_version_ |
1766175569441980416 |