Molecular testing of observer identification of carnivore feces in the field
Collection of carnivore feces is common in wildlife ecology studies, but misidentification of scats can compromise data quality. We tested the ability of observers to identify coyote (Canis latrans) feces in the Alaska Range from 2000–2002. We extracted DNA from 834 fecal samples and used an unambig...
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Published in | Wildlife Society bulletin Vol. 33; no. 1; pp. 189 - 194 |
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Main Authors | , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Oxford, UK
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
01.04.2005
The Wildlife Society |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Collection of carnivore feces is common in wildlife ecology studies, but misidentification of scats can compromise data quality. We tested the ability of observers to identify coyote (Canis latrans) feces in the Alaska Range from 2000–2002. We extracted DNA from 834 fecal samples and used an unambiguous mtDNA analysis to differentiate coyote scats from those of sympatric carnivores. We successfully amplified DNA from 78% of the extracts, and 92% of these samples were from coyotes. We rated our certainty level when collecting scats in the field, and the proportion correctly identified matched well with expected proportions. For example, 100% of scats that we rated “100% certain” were from coyotes (n=129), 96% of scats rated “95% certain” were from coyotes (n=174), and 88% of scats rated “90% certain” were from coyotes (n=62). Thus, we demonstrate that trained observers can identify coyote scats in the field with accuracy that should be sufficient for diet studies, even in the presence of other similar-sized carnivores. Rating observer certainty is useful for later analyses because researchers can decide what level of uncertainty is acceptable for their purposes and exclude samples accordingly. |
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Bibliography: | ark:/67375/WNG-9LJ4ZVLJ-X istex:41F77EC02587747CC71E83A0265505C5BA7ABE6E ArticleID:WSB4153 Dr. Carol Ritland http:www.forestry.ubc.cagdcindex.htm Laura Prugh (right) is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of British Columbia. She received her B.A. in biology from Earlham College, Indiana, in 1996. Her thesis research examines the response of coyotes to changes in snowshoe hare density and how this affects alternative prey populations. She uses fecal genotyping to study coyote population dynamics and individual diets. . (left) is the director of the Genetic Data Centre at the University of British Columbia. The Centre is involved with the training of researchers in the areas of genetic markers and other molecular techniques and over‐seeing of projects in several disciplines through to completion ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0091-7648 1938-5463 |
DOI: | 10.2193/0091-7648(2005)33[189:MTOOIO]2.0.CO;2 |