Performance comparison of different microbial DNA extraction methods on bird feces

Background:As an important player during food digestion,gut microbiota has attracted much attention in diet adaptation studies in birds.Microbiota extracted from feces has been widely used as a proxy for gut microbiota.Although several methods have been developed for microbial DNA extraction,their performances in the bird feces have not been systematacially evaluated yet.Methods:In this study,we applied three DNA extraction methods(Qiagen,MoBio and Bead)to extract DNA from feces of three avian dietary guilds(granivore,omnivore and carnivore),sequenced V4 region of 16S rRNA gene for each extract and evaluated the performances of DNA yield,DNA integrity,microbial composition,cell lysis capacity and alpha diversity for the three methods on each dietary guild.Results:Bead method was the best on the performance of both DNA yield and DNA integrity regardless of dietary guild.In granivore,microbial relative abundance at both species and phylum levels,alpha diversity and cell lysis capacity were comparable among all methods.In omnivore,Qiagen had the best performance on alpha diversity,fol-lowed by Bead and MoBio.There were small variations on microbial relative abundance at both species and phylum levels among different extraction methods.MoBio exhibited the best performance on cell lysis capacity.In carnivore,considerable variations were found on microbial relative abundance at both species and phylum levels.Qiagen had the best performance on alpha diversity,followed by MoBio and Bead.MoBio had the highest cell lysis capacity.Conclusions:DNA yield and integrity have no obvious impact on microbial composition,alpha diversity or cell lysis capacity.The microbiota results(e.g.,microbial composition,cell lysis capacity,alpha diversity)obtained from differ-ent methods are comparable in granivorous avian species but not in omnivorous or carnivorous birds.Either method could be used in granivore microbiota studies.For omnivores and carnivores,we recommend Qiagen method when the research purpose is microbial diversity and MoBio when gram-positive bacteria is the research target.

Correction to:Performance comparison of different microbial DNA extraction methods on bird feces

Following publication of the original article(Hou et al.2021),the authors identified an error in Fig.1.The cor-rect figure is given below.The original article(Hou et al.2021)has been updated.

基于DNA条形码技术构建王朗国家级自然保护区陆生脊椎动物遗传资源数据库及物种鉴定

DNA条形码(DNA barcode)是基因组中较短的、种内变异相对稳定的基因序列,已经成为生物多样性保护研究中物种鉴定、生物多样性评估的有力手段之一。四川王朗国家级自然保护区地处青藏高原东缘,属于世界生物多样性热点地区,具有丰富的生物资源,在我国珍稀动物保护领域具有重要地位。目前保护区已累积了大量的陆生脊椎动物监测数据,但缺乏遗传资源本底调查和基础的遗传资源数据库。本研究基于DNA条形码技术,以四川王朗国家级自然保护区为主要研究区域,基于样线法和博物馆标本调研,对所采集的314份样品进行DNA条形码分析,共鉴定兽类、鸟类、两栖类18目35科74种,首次获得了王朗齿突蟾(Scutigerwanglangensis)的线粒体基因(COI、12S-16S、16S、Cytb)及核基因(RAG1)的条形码序列信息,并通过比较不同监测方法说明了DNA条形码技术在动物多样性调查中的应用前景。本研究基于DNA条形码技术最终获得了216份DNA条形码数据,初步建立了保护区陆生脊椎动物遗传资源数据库,该数据库将为评估保护区生物多样性提供基础信息,为动物保护和管理工作提供技术支持。

Integrated tool for microsatellite isolation and validation from the reference genome and their application in the study of breeding turnover in an endangered avian population

Accurate individual identification is required to estimate survival rates in avian populations.For endangered species,non-invasive methods of obtaining individual identification,such as using molted feathers as a source of DNA for microsatellite markers,are preferred because of less disturbance,easy sample preparation and high efficiency.With the availability of many avian genomes,a few pipelines isolating genome-wide microsatellites have been published,but it is still a challenge to isolate microsatellites from the reference genome efficiently.Here,we have developed an integrated tool comprising a bioinformatic pipeline and experimental procedures for microsatellite isolation and validation based on the reference genome.We have identified over 95000 microsatellite loci and established a system comprising 10 highly polymorphic markers(PIC value:0.49–0.93,mean:0.79)for an endangered species,saker falcon(Falco cherrug).These markers(except 1)were successfully amplified in 126 molted feathers,exhibiting high amplification success rates(83.9–99.7%),high quality index(0.90–0.97)and low allelic dropout rates(1–9.5%).To further assess the efficiency of this marker system in a population study,we identified individual sakers using these molted feathers(adult)and 146 plucked feathers(offspring).The use of parent and offspring samples enabled us to infer the genotype of missing samples(N=28),and all adult genotypes were used to ascertain that breeding turnover is a useful proxy for survival estimation in sakers.Our study presents a cost-effective tool for microsatellite isolation based on publicly available reference genomes and demonstrates the power of this tool in estimating key parameters of avian population dynamics.

Status of the saker falcon in China

In line with the"ecosystem approach"of the Convention on Biological Diversity(CBD)(Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity,2004)toward recognizing the service value in maintaining the essential balance of biodiversity,there has been a conceptual shift toward conservation frameworks that integrate a wider range of dedicated conservationists(Pearson,2016).In this paper,we explore the saker falcon Falco cherrug(hereafter saker)to illustrate how intrinsic service and cultural values within this conceptual paradigm enhance its conservation.