Mammal dung-dung beetle trophic networks: an improved method based on gut-content DNA.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Dung beetles provide many important ecosystem services, including dung decomposition, pathogen control, soil aeration, and secondary seed dispersal. Yet, the biology of most dung beetles remains unknown. Natural diets are poorly studied, partly because previous research has focused on choice or attraction experiments using few, easily accessible dung types from zoo animals, farm animals, or humans. This way, many links within natural food webs have certainly been missed. In this work, we aimed to establish a protocol to analyze the natural diets of dung beetles using DNA gut barcoding.

Methods

First, the feasibility of gut-content DNA extraction and amplification of 12s rDNA from six different mammal dung types was tested in the laboratory. We then applied the met

SUBMITTER: Pedersen KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10946388 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature