Institutional Repository of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden
| Enhancing the dung beetle iDNA tool for mammalian biodiversity monitoring and ecological studies | |
Nimalrathna, Thilina S.; Fan, Huan ; Quan, Rui‐Chang; Nakamura, Akihiro
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| 2023 | |
| Source Publication | Integrative Conservation
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| ISSN | 2770-9329 |
| Volume | 2Issue:3Pages:133-139 |
| Abstract | Abstract Many species of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) are coprophages and possess trophic connections with mammalian dung. Recent studies have shown that the use of genetic information from dung beetle guts (invertebrate‐derived DNA or iDNA) allows for the detection of mammals in a given habitat without intensively surveying the area. However, these studies used live or freshly killed beetles instead of preserved specimens. Here, we assessed the feasibility of extracting and sequencing iDNA from dung beetles that were collected using conventional baited pitfall traps with a mixture of propylene glycol and ethanol. We extracted iDNA from the guts of 18 dung beetles, comprising three species and three functional groups, collected from a seasonal tropical forest in Xishuangbanna, China. Eight mammalian species were detected, including rare species not previously recorded at the same location. Among the three functional groups, paracoprids (tunnelers) yielded the highest number of mammal species. Our study shows that iDNA can be successfully sequenced from preserved specimens, provided they are stored under appropriate conditions. The proposed technique offers a viable alternative to traditional cafeteria experiments for understanding dung beetle‐mammal interactions and can serve as a valuable complementary approach to current mammal survey techniques. 摘要 许多粪甲虫物种(Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)以哺乳动物的粪便作为食物来源,因此与其存在营养层级上的关联。最近的研究表明,利用粪甲虫肠道内的遗传信息(取自无脊椎动物的DNA或iDNA),可检测出生活在特定栖息地的哺乳动物的种类,而无需直接对哺乳动物展开广泛调查。然而,这些研究使用的是活的或刚杀死的粪甲虫,而非粪甲虫标本。本研究评估了从常规陷阱诱捕、保存在丙二醇和乙醇混合物中的粪甲虫标本中提取iDNA并测序的可行性。研究使用的18只粪甲虫标本来自中国西双版纳季节性热带森林,包括来自3个功能类群的3个物种。结果共检测出8种哺乳动物,包括未在该地点记录过的稀有物种。在这3个功能群中,从外生型粪甲虫(隧道者)中检测到的哺乳动物种类最多。本研究表明,只要粪甲虫标本保存得当,可以从其肠道中提取iDNA并测序。本研究使用的技术可替代传统的自助餐式食物选择实验,用于了解粪甲虫与哺乳动物的相互作用,是目前哺乳动物调查技术的重要补充。【审阅:范欢】 Practitioner points Dung beetles collected by conventional pitfall traps, which preserve specimens with an alcohol‐based solution, can be used to extract, sequence, and identify mammal DNA from their guts. This method identified a previously unrecorded rare Asian black bear, primarily nocturnal masked palm civet and northern pig‐tailed macaque, demonstrating its potential to capture mammals across various spatiotemporal residencies. The proposed technique offers a viable alternative to traditional cafeteria experiments for understanding dung beetle‐mammal interactions and can serve as a valuable complementary approach to current mammal survey techniques. 实践者要点 可从传统陷阱诱捕方法收集并保存在酒精类容液中的粪甲虫标本肠道中提取DNA并测序,检测到哺乳动物DNA。 本研究利用该技术,检测出夜间活动的果子狸、北方猪尾猕猴,以及一种以前没有记录过的稀有亚洲黑熊,证明该技术可检测到大尺度时空内的哺乳动物。 该技术可替代传统的自助餐式食物选择实验,用于了解粪甲虫与哺乳动物的相互作用,是目前哺乳动物监测技术的重要补充。 Plain language summary Many dung beetles utilize mammalian dung as a food source and build and relocate dung balls to lay eggs and shelter their larvae. Such behavior provides many ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling, secondary seed dispersal, soil excavation, and parasite and pest control. Their relationships with mammal dung helped us detect which mammals are present in an area by looking at the DNA inside dung beetle guts. In the past, they used live or freshly killed dung beetles for these DNA studies. However, in this study, we have tested if we can use preserved dung beetles, such as those caught in pitfall traps with alcohol‐based preservative solution, to obtain the same information. We successfully extracted DNA from the preserved beetles and used it to identify nonhuman mammal species. We even found rare mammal species that had not been spotted in that area before. Our study showed that we do not always need live beetles to extract mammal DNA. Preserved beetles can work, too, as long as they are stored correctly. This method helps scientists discover which mammals are in an area, and it is more efficient than other methods. 通俗语言摘要 许多粪甲虫物种利用哺乳动物的粪便作为食物,将其做成粪球,并在上面产卵。为保护幼虫,它们还会把粪球推到安全的地方。这些行为提供了许多生态系统服务,如营养循环、二次种子传播、松土,以及寄生虫与害虫控制。因为这种取食关系,我们可以通过检测粪甲虫肠道内的DNA,来判断粪甲虫活动区域内有哪些哺乳动物存在。在过去,研究人员使用活的或刚杀死的粪甲虫进行研究。本研究则测试了从粪甲虫标本中获取这些信息的可行性。这些标本虽然曾浸泡在酒精类保存溶液中,但仍可成功地从它们的肠道中提取到DNA,并检测出这些DNA来自哪些哺乳动物。我们甚至发现了以前在该地区未报道过的稀有哺乳动物。研究结果表明,并不总是需要从活的粪甲虫中提取哺乳动物的DNA,保存较好的粪甲虫标本也可以做此用途。这种方法可帮助研究人员监测某个区域生活着哪些哺乳动物。 |
| DOI | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/inc3.29 |
| Citation statistics | |
| Document Type | 期刊论文 |
| Identifier | https://ir.xtbg.ac.cn/handle/353005/14375 |
| Collection | Integrative Conservation |
| Affiliation | 1.Nimalrathna, Thilina S. (CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, China 2.Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, China 3.Yunnan International Joint Laboratory of Southeast Asia Biodiversity Conservation & Yunnan Key Laboratory for Conservation of Tropical Rainforests and Asian Elephants, Menglun, China 4.International College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China) 5.Fan, Huan (Center for Integrative Conservation & Yunnan Key Laboratory for Conservation of Tropical Rainforests and Asian Elephants, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, China) 6.Quan, Rui‐Chang (CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, China 7.Yunnan International Joint Laboratory of Southeast Asia Biodiversity Conservation & Yunnan Key Laboratory for Conservation of Tropical Rainforests and Asian Elephants, Menglun, China) 8.Nakamura, Akihiro (CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, China) |
| Recommended Citation GB/T 7714 | Nimalrathna, Thilina S.,Fan, Huan,Quan, Rui‐Chang,et al. Enhancing the dung beetle iDNA tool for mammalian biodiversity monitoring and ecological studies[J]. Integrative Conservation,2023,2(3):133-139. |
| APA | Nimalrathna, Thilina S.,Fan, Huan,Quan, Rui‐Chang,&Nakamura, Akihiro.(2023).Enhancing the dung beetle iDNA tool for mammalian biodiversity monitoring and ecological studies.Integrative Conservation,2(3),133-139. |
| MLA | Nimalrathna, Thilina S.,et al."Enhancing the dung beetle iDNA tool for mammalian biodiversity monitoring and ecological studies".Integrative Conservation 2.3(2023):133-139. |
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