Capturing environmental DNA in snow tracks of polar bear, Eurasian lynx and snow leopard towards individual identification
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) and snow leopards (Panthera uncia) are elusive large carnivores inhabiting snow-covered and remote areas. Their effective conservation and management are challenged by inadequate population information, necessitating development of novel data...
Published in: | Frontiers in Conservation Science |
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2023
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2023.1250996 https://doaj.org/article/abe4edf014584eefb4c359d9efd693ae |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:abe4edf014584eefb4c359d9efd693ae 2024-01-07T09:47:12+01:00 Capturing environmental DNA in snow tracks of polar bear, Eurasian lynx and snow leopard towards individual identification Micaela Hellström Elisabeth Kruger Johan Näslund Mia Bisther Anna Edlund Patrick Hernvall Viktor Birgersson Rafael Augusto Melanie L. Lancaster 2023-12-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2023.1250996 https://doaj.org/article/abe4edf014584eefb4c359d9efd693ae EN eng Frontiers Media S.A. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2023.1250996/full https://doaj.org/toc/2673-611X 2673-611X doi:10.3389/fcosc.2023.1250996 https://doaj.org/article/abe4edf014584eefb4c359d9efd693ae Frontiers in Conservation Science, Vol 4 (2023) nuclear eDNA snow snow track individual polar bear (Ursus maritimus) Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2023.1250996 2023-12-10T01:42:01Z Polar bears (Ursus maritimus), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) and snow leopards (Panthera uncia) are elusive large carnivores inhabiting snow-covered and remote areas. Their effective conservation and management are challenged by inadequate population information, necessitating development of novel data collection methods. Environmental DNA (eDNA) from snow tracks (footprints in snow) has identified species based on mitochondrial DNA, yet its utility for individual-based analyses remains unsolved due to challenges accessing the nuclear genome. We present a protocol for capturing nuclear eDNA from polar bear, Eurasian lynx and snow leopard snow tracks and verify it through genotyping at a selection of microsatellite markers. We successfully retrieved nuclear eDNA from 87.5% (21/24) of wild polar bear snow tracks, 59.1% (26/44) of wild Eurasian lynx snow tracks, and the single snow leopard sampled. We genotyped over half of all wild polar bear samples (54.2%, 13/24) at five loci, and 11% (9/44) of wild lynx samples and the snow leopard at three loci. Genotyping success from Eurasian lynx snow tracks increased to 24% when tracks were collected by trained rather than untrained personnel. Thirteen wild polar bear samples comprised 11 unique genotypes and two identical genotypes; likely representing 12 individual bears, one of which was sampled twice. Snow tracks show promise for use alongside other non-invasive and conventional methods as a reliable source of nuclear DNA for genetic mark-recapture of elusive and threatened mammals. The detailed protocol we present has utility for broadening end user groups and engaging Indigenous and local communities in species monitoring. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ursus maritimus Lynx Lynx lynx lynx Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Frontiers in Conservation Science 4 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
nuclear eDNA snow snow track individual polar bear (Ursus maritimus) Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 |
spellingShingle |
nuclear eDNA snow snow track individual polar bear (Ursus maritimus) Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 Micaela Hellström Elisabeth Kruger Johan Näslund Mia Bisther Anna Edlund Patrick Hernvall Viktor Birgersson Rafael Augusto Melanie L. Lancaster Capturing environmental DNA in snow tracks of polar bear, Eurasian lynx and snow leopard towards individual identification |
topic_facet |
nuclear eDNA snow snow track individual polar bear (Ursus maritimus) Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 |
description |
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) and snow leopards (Panthera uncia) are elusive large carnivores inhabiting snow-covered and remote areas. Their effective conservation and management are challenged by inadequate population information, necessitating development of novel data collection methods. Environmental DNA (eDNA) from snow tracks (footprints in snow) has identified species based on mitochondrial DNA, yet its utility for individual-based analyses remains unsolved due to challenges accessing the nuclear genome. We present a protocol for capturing nuclear eDNA from polar bear, Eurasian lynx and snow leopard snow tracks and verify it through genotyping at a selection of microsatellite markers. We successfully retrieved nuclear eDNA from 87.5% (21/24) of wild polar bear snow tracks, 59.1% (26/44) of wild Eurasian lynx snow tracks, and the single snow leopard sampled. We genotyped over half of all wild polar bear samples (54.2%, 13/24) at five loci, and 11% (9/44) of wild lynx samples and the snow leopard at three loci. Genotyping success from Eurasian lynx snow tracks increased to 24% when tracks were collected by trained rather than untrained personnel. Thirteen wild polar bear samples comprised 11 unique genotypes and two identical genotypes; likely representing 12 individual bears, one of which was sampled twice. Snow tracks show promise for use alongside other non-invasive and conventional methods as a reliable source of nuclear DNA for genetic mark-recapture of elusive and threatened mammals. The detailed protocol we present has utility for broadening end user groups and engaging Indigenous and local communities in species monitoring. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Micaela Hellström Elisabeth Kruger Johan Näslund Mia Bisther Anna Edlund Patrick Hernvall Viktor Birgersson Rafael Augusto Melanie L. Lancaster |
author_facet |
Micaela Hellström Elisabeth Kruger Johan Näslund Mia Bisther Anna Edlund Patrick Hernvall Viktor Birgersson Rafael Augusto Melanie L. Lancaster |
author_sort |
Micaela Hellström |
title |
Capturing environmental DNA in snow tracks of polar bear, Eurasian lynx and snow leopard towards individual identification |
title_short |
Capturing environmental DNA in snow tracks of polar bear, Eurasian lynx and snow leopard towards individual identification |
title_full |
Capturing environmental DNA in snow tracks of polar bear, Eurasian lynx and snow leopard towards individual identification |
title_fullStr |
Capturing environmental DNA in snow tracks of polar bear, Eurasian lynx and snow leopard towards individual identification |
title_full_unstemmed |
Capturing environmental DNA in snow tracks of polar bear, Eurasian lynx and snow leopard towards individual identification |
title_sort |
capturing environmental dna in snow tracks of polar bear, eurasian lynx and snow leopard towards individual identification |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2023.1250996 https://doaj.org/article/abe4edf014584eefb4c359d9efd693ae |
genre |
Ursus maritimus Lynx Lynx lynx lynx |
genre_facet |
Ursus maritimus Lynx Lynx lynx lynx |
op_source |
Frontiers in Conservation Science, Vol 4 (2023) |
op_relation |
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2023.1250996/full https://doaj.org/toc/2673-611X 2673-611X doi:10.3389/fcosc.2023.1250996 https://doaj.org/article/abe4edf014584eefb4c359d9efd693ae |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2023.1250996 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Conservation Science |
container_volume |
4 |
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1787429193314729984 |