A Comparison of Visual and Genetic Techniques for Identifying Japanese Marten Scats - Enabling Diet Examination in Relation to Seasonal Food Availability in a Sub-Alpine Area of Japan

• Published in: Zoological science Vol. 34; no. 2; p. 137
• Main Authors: Hisano, Masumi, Hoshino, Lisa, Kamada, Shouko, Masuda, Ryuichi, Newman, Chris, Kaneko, Yayoi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan 01.04.2017
• Subjects: Animal Distribution; Animals; Diet; Feces - chemistry; Feeding Behavior; Japan; Mustelidae - anatomy & histology; Mustelidae - genetics; Seasons; Species Specificity; fecal analysis; Martes melampus; diet; niche overlap; PCR amplification; Vulpes vulpes

We compared the reliability of visual diagnostic criteria to DNA diagnostic techniques, including newly designed primers, to discriminate Japanese marten (Martes melampus) feces from those of other sympatric carnivore species. Visual criteria proved > 95% reliable for fresh, odoriferous scats in...