With Only the Pawprints, Researchers Study Elusive Bobcat--For the First Time in Bobcats, Scientists Are Using Errant DNA to Gather Extensive Data
Published:22 Feb.2024 Source:University of Florida
One Sunday morning in February of 2021, Dave Duffy's kids found a bobcat through the window of their home near the University of Florida's Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience outside St. Augustine, Florida. Duffy eventually went to check and there they were: six clear bobcat prints in the sandy soil. With his kids' help, he scooped up small soil samples from the footprints and tucked them away for later.
In their latest research, Duffy and his team showed that they could readily recover bobcat DNA from the serendipitous tracks. In collaboration with the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens they also showed that DNA recovered from bobcat pawprints can be used to determine the animals' ancestral background and even identify its unique microbial community. All from the errant DNA left behind long after the animal has left the area. This kind of information can help scientists conserve rare or endangered species.
It's just the latest from a team that has refined methods for studying environmental DNA, or eDNA, the genetic detritus left behind by all living things as they move through the world. Sequencing this eDNA can help protect wildlife like sea turtles or even study human populations from entire towns using their wastewater. Since these microbes can directly influence the health of an animal, understanding the community can give conservationists even more knowledge about the wildlife populations they study.