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Journal of Heredity Advance Access published online on November 2, 2005
Journal of Heredity, doi:10.1093/jhered/esi124
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© The American Genetic Association. 2005. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.
Received March 16, 2004
Accepted August 30, 2005

Article

Fecal DNA Analysis for Identifying Species and Sex of Sympatric Carnivores: A Noninvasive Method for Conservation on the Tsushima Islands, Japan

N. Kurose 1, R. Masuda 2*, and M. Tatara 3

1 From the Division of Bioscience, Graduate School of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
2 From the Division of Genome Dynamics, Creative Research Initiative "Sousei," Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
3 From the Iriomote Wildlife Conservation Center, Ministry of the Environment, Taketomi-cho, Okinawa 907-1432, Japan

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
R. Masuda, E-mail: masudary{at}ees.hokudai.ac.jp


  Abstract

Fecal analysis is a useful tool for the investigation of food habits and species identity in mammals. However, it is generally difficult to identify the species based on the morphological features and contents of feces deposited by mammals of similar body size. Therefore we developed noninvasive DNA analysis methods using fecal samples for identification of the species and sex of four small sympatric carnivores living on the Tsushima Islands of Japan: the leopard cat (Felis bengalensis), Japanese marten (Martes melampus), Siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica), and feral cat (Felis catus). Based on DNA sequence data from previous phylogenetic studies, we designed species-specific primers for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the partial mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (112-347 bp) to identify the species and primers for the partial SRY gene (135 bp) to determine the sex. Due to the adjustment of PCR conditions, those specific DNA fragments were successfully amplified and then applied for species and sex identification. Nucleotide sequences obtained from the PCR products corresponded with cytochrome b sequences of the carnivore species expected. The protocol developed could be a valuable tool in the management and conservation of the four carnivore species occurring on the Tsushima Islands.


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