Fecal metabarcoding of the endangered Pacific pocket mouse (Perognathus longimembris pacificus) reveals a diverse and forb rich diet that reflects local habitat availability.

ABSTRACT: Information on diet breadth and preference can assist in understanding links between food resources and population growth and inform habitat restoration for rare herbivores. We assessed the diet of the endangered Pacific pocket mouse using metabarcoding of fecal samples and compared it to plant community composition in long-term study plots in two populations on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, San Diego County, CA. Fecal samples (n = 221) were collected between spring 2016 and fall 2017 during monthly live-trap surveys. Concurrently, percent cover and plant phenology were measured in plots centered on trap locations. Fecal samples were sequenced with paired-end reads of the internal transcribed spacer 2 region of the nuclear ribosomal gene, and the resulting amplicons were matched

SUBMITTER: Vandergast AG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10514273 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature