Determining the diet of wild Asian elephants (Elephasmaximus) at human-elephant conflict areas in Peninsular Malaysia using DNA metabarcoding.

ABSTRACT: Human-elephant conflict (HEC) contributes to the increasing death of Asian elephants due to road accidents, retaliatory killings and fatal infections from being trapped in snares. Understanding the diet of elephants throughout Peninsular Malaysia remains crucial to improve their habitat quality and reduce scenarios of HEC. DNA metabarcoding allows investigating the diet of animals without direct observation, especially in risky conflict areas. The aim of this study was to determine: i) the diet of wild Asian elephants from HEC areas in Peninsular Malaysia using DNA metabarcoding and ii) the influence of distinct environmental parameters at HEC locations on their feeding patterns. DNA was extracted from 39 faecal samples and pooled into 12 groups representing the different sample locations:

SUBMITTER: Mohd-Radzi NHS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9836633 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature