From fruits to feces: detecting plant DNA in fecal samples of frugivorous birds

• Grant number: 23/08800-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2023
• End date: July 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Marina Corrêa Côrtes
• Grantee: Vinicius Marciano de Godoy
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The study of diet allows us to understand the feeding patterns and resource use by animals in natural environments, being a useful method to comprehend ecosystems and monitor environmental changes. Animals with a frugivorous diet can act as important seed dispersers, and therefore, the molecular analysis of their fecal samples constitutes a promising approach to investigate frugivory and seed dispersal. However, characterizing the diet of seed dispersers using molecular tools requires prior information about factors that can impact the success of food item detection. The objective of this project is to optimize the protocols for DNA extraction and amplification from fruits in fecal samples of frugivorous birds. We will investigate how the detection rate of fruit DNA varies with the time elapsed since feeding and the quantity of consumed fruits. An experimental study will be conducted in captivity with 30 individuals of Rufous-bellied Thrush (Turdus leucomelas) fed with guava (Psidium guajava). The offered fruits will be removed and weighed, and then fecal samples will be collected every hour for up to 6 hours after feeding. The collected samples will undergo DNA extraction using the CTAB method and will be amplified by PCR using two molecular markers (mini barcode and microsatellite). With the obtained results, we will have a solid foundation to interpret the molecular results of fecal samples from frugivorous birds in natural environments and gain a better understanding of seed dispersal.