THE POWER AND PROMISE OF FECAL DNA IN WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION: LESSONS FROM 10 YEARS AND A THOUSAND TONS OF S_ _T

Ben Sacks; UC Davis Mammalian Ecology and Conservation Unit; bnsacks@ucdavis.edu;

As genomic technologies have advanced over the past decade, so too has the versatility of DNA-based noninvasive methods for monitoring of wildlife populations. The Mammalian Ecology and Conservation Unit (MECU) has partnered with state, federal, tribal, NGO, and other academic entities to develop and apply both conventional and noninvasive genetic tools for a broad range of wildlife species. I review noninvasive applications in particular, showcasing examples arising from our partnerships over the past decade. I describe the use of emerging genomic tools to develop sensitive, high-resolution fecal DNA assays to identify species, sex, and individuals of many species of carnivore, ungulate, rodent, primate, and reptile. Along with new sampling designs, these tools have supported statewide and regional abundance estimation studies and monitoring programs targeting game and nongame wildlife species, and have enabled species distribution modeling, estimation of occupancy, and monitoring of abundance, reproduction, longevity, genetic health, and hybridization affecting several endangered species, as well as wildlife responses to wildfire. Metabarcoding technologies opened up opportunities to simultaneously study diet and survey broadly for rare prey or plant species, pathogens, and parasites. The increasing pressure on wildlife managers to meet demands of climate change warrants expanded use of noninvasive genetic tools.

Poster Session  InPerson Presentation