Metabarcoding of fecal DNA reveals the broad and flexible diet of a globally endangered bird.

ABSTRACT: Knowing the diet of endangered wild animals is a prerequisite for species-specific conservation and habitat management. The Sichuan partridge Arborophila rufipectus is a globally endangered Galliformes species endemic to the mountains of southwest China. Existing information on the diet of this species is biased and fragmented owing to traditional observation methods. Little is known about their dietary composition or how they respond to temporal variations in food resources throughout the year. In this study, a dietary analysis was performed on 60 fecal samples using DNA Metabarcoding of invertebrates and plants to determine the primary animal and plant components of the diet across 3 critical periods of adult life history (breeding, postbreeding wandering, and overwintering). Prey

SUBMITTER: Tang K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10449430 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature