Advancing Methods of Diet Analysis: A Case Study Using Degraded Merlin (Falco columbarius) Prey Remains

Author

Taylor A. CoonFollow

Graduation Year

2023

Graduation Month

May

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Major

Wildlife Biology – Terrestrial

Faculty Mentor Department

Wildlife Biology

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Victoria Dreitz

Keywords

prey remains, methodology, merlin, birds, genetics, diet analysis

Subject Categories

Genetics | Ornithology

Abstract

Prey remains have long been used as a mechanism to approach diet analyses. As understanding diet is key to comprehending ecosystem dynamics, prey remains identification requires a unique methodological approach to determine diversity within a sample. With the advancement of technology, molecular protocols designed for species-specific identification have improved to incredible accuracy and precision. Yet, the visual identification method has remained a predominant technique within diet studies. With entry-level observers, we matched visual identifications with molecular-based methods to quantify the accuracy of the visual identification method. This study determined what fraction of visually identified prey remains could be correctly identified to a high degree of certainty. Using the mitochondrial DNA of > 40-year-old Merlin (Falco columbarius) feather samples, we found that the correct identification of visually identified “high” certainty samples was 41.7%. Furthermore, visually identified samples with a “medium to low” certainty plummeted to 19.0%. This study reveals that correct identification of visually identified samples is significantly lower than previously considered but that certainty level has a significant role in correct identification. Similarly, visual identification can provide rapid determination of separate taxa and the number of species in a sample. It is critical to assess prey remains using multiple techniques to procure definitive identification of individual prey items. Anecdotally, I found that the primers AWF2-R4 and AWF4-R6 targeting regions within the cytochrome c oxidase subunit-1 gene are effective for degraded (i.e. > 40 years old) feather samples of Passeriformes and Charadriiformes.

Honors College Research Project

Yes

GLI Capstone Project

no

Recommended Citation

Coon, Taylor A., "Advancing Methods of Diet Analysis: A Case Study Using Degraded Merlin (Falco columbarius) Prey Remains" (2023). Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts. 413.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/utpp/413