DNA & Bat diets Food for Thought
Traditional approaches to diet analysis Microscopic analysis ID of prey fragments Quantitative evaluation from Clare et el. 2009. Mol Eco. 18. 2532. Soft-bodied prey under-represented restricted Identification
Barbastelle diets n = 246 n = 40 n = 80 n = 80 n = 4 Sierro & Arlettaz (1997) Rydell et al. (1996) Davidson-Watts (2005)
Predator prey relationships Bats and Moths: an evolutionary arms race Echolocation adaptations among moth specialist bats Alternation Role in predation?
SEQUENCE ID ENGINE The DNA approach.. Extract insect prey DNA from bat droppings? TTAGGTTTCTAGG DNA databases: BOLD GENBANK PRIVATE ~ 700,000 sequences ~ 100,000 sequences ~ 250 British moth species 7500 Lep Species
# bats Results 65 droppings from 51 bats (Across seasons and UK range) ~16 fragments extracted per dropping 1008 DNA fragments 908 sequences 81 identified to species/genus (>90% of sequences) 16 Prey items per bat 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 # species
Proportion of total species Species per family 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 Lymantriidae Notodontidae Thyatiridae Tortricidae Arctiidae Crambidae Incurvariidae Pyralidae Other Geometridae Noctuidae Insect Family Scathophaga stercoraria Chrysoperla spp. Tipula spp. Metellina segmentata
Proportion of droppings Frequency of species detection 1 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 Lymantriidae Notodontidae Thyatiridae Tortricidae Incurvariidae Crambidae Drosophilidae Pyralidae Arctiidae Tipulidae Chrysopidae Geometridae Noctuidae Insect Family
Moth species: most frequent occurrences Large Yellow Underwing Dun-bar Dark Arches Vine s Rustic Turnip Moth Noctua pronuba Cosmia trapezina Apamea monoglypha Hoplodrina ambigua Agrotis segetum Riband Wave Dusky Thorn Brimstone Moth Scalloped Hazel Buff Ermine Idaea aversata Ennomos fuscantaria Opisthograptis luteolata Odontopera bidentata Spilosoma luteum
Habitat use by foraging barbastelles n = 14 bats
Species list Spilosoma lubricipeda Spilosoma luteum Eudonia mercurella Udea prunalis Acasis viretata Cabera pusaria Cabera sp. Campaea margaritata Chloroclysta truncate Cyclophora linearia Ennomos fuscantaria Ennomos quercinaria Epirrhoe alternate Eupithecia assimilate Eupithecia exiguata Idaea aversata Lomographa bimaculata Odontopera bidentata Opisthograptis luteolata Peribatodes sp. Petrophora chlorosata Selenia dentaria Selenia sp. Xanthorhoe designata Xanthorhoe fluctuata Nematopogon swammerdamella Nematopogon sp. Calliteara pudibunda Acronicta psi Agrochola circellaris Agrochola lychnidis Agrotis exclamationis Agrotis puta Agrotis segetum Agrotis sp. Anaplectoides prasina Apamea monoglypha Apamea sp. Autographa gamma Caradrina morpheus Caradrina sp. Colocasia coryli Conistra sp. Cosmia trapezina Cosmia sp. Craniophora ligustri Craniophora sp. Diarsia sp. Dichonia aprilina Hoplodrina ambigua Hoplodrina sp. Ipimorpha retusa Mythimna sp. Noctua comes Noctua fimbriata Noctua pronuba Noctua sp. Ochropleura plecta Orthosia cerasi Orthosia munda Panolis flammea Phlogophora meticulosa Phlogophora sp. Rivula sericealis Xestia c-nigrum Xestia sexstrigata Pterostoma palpina Plodia interpunctella Plodia sp. Thyatira batis Choristoneura sp.
Final Thoughts DNA-based approaches to diet analysis: Very useful compliment to traditional diet analysis techniques Limitations:? Quantitative value? Answers specific ecological questions Greatly improved resolution of prey identification
Species detection rate (per sample) from Clare et el. 2009. Mol Eco. 18. 2532.
Acknowledgements Supervisor Gareth Jones Collaborators Roger Butlin, Sheffield MGF, David Lees Ian Davidson-Watts, Frank Greenaway, Jon Flanders, Paul Hope, Colleen Mainstone, Sue Parsons, Lesley Helliwell Bat Lab Funders SITA Trust; Mammals Trust UK; Countryside Council for Wales; Natural England; Natural Environment Research Council; Bat Conservation International; Dartmoor National Park Authority; The National Trust; Woodland Trust