Defense Date

6-13-2013

Graduation Date

2013

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

thesis

Degree Name

MS

Department

Environmental Science and Management (ESM)

Committee Chair

Brady A Porter

Committee Member

Kyle Selcer

Committee Member

Steven Latta

Keywords

Barcoding, COI, Diet, Macroinvertebrates, motacilla, Parkesia

Abstract

The Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) (LOWA) is a Neotropical-Nearctic migrant songbird that annually breeds in the Eastern United States. As an obligate riparian species, it preys upon a diverse community of benthic macroinvertebrates along headwater streams. Fecal material potentially contains residual DNA that can be used to molecularly identify prey species. The objective of this study was to develop a non-invasive technique capable of elucidating the diet of Waterthrush nestlings from residual DNA present in fecal sacs via DNA barcoding. Our limited analysis revealed that the majority of the analyzed fecal sacs were comprised of an acid-sensitive family of Ephemerotperan (Heptageniidae) in addition to Megalopterans and Dipterans. These results suggest that the technique of DNA barcoding can be utilized to accurately identify prey species from residual DNA found in avian fecal samples, which may improve our understanding of landscape-level factors affecting riparian bird communities and guide future conservation efforts.

Format

PDF

Language

English

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