Abstract
AbstractSpecies inventories and biodiversity assessments are critical to conservation. Yet cryptic species or recolonizing species can be challenging to detect. DNA metabarcoding provides an alternative tool to identify species that can be difficult to observe during field surveys. We test the efficacy of DNA analysis to identify burrowing petrel species in a rapidly changing landscape, on a remote sub‐Antarctic island following pest eradication. Discarded feathers and scats provided high quality DNA for species identification, assisting in detection of new species arrivals and new breeding sites across Macquarie Island. We highlight how DNA metabarcoding informs species inventories and is a valuable tool to complement seabird field surveys.
Highlights
Species diversity assessments are a key component of ecosystem monitoring (Duelli & Obrist, 2003), and understanding of species distributions is required for informed conservation
Monitoring approaches vary across species, landscapes, and habitats
Despite emerging technologies, some species remain difficult to detect due to their habitat and behavior
Summary
Species diversity assessments are a key component of ecosystem monitoring (Duelli & Obrist, 2003), and understanding of species distributions is required for informed conservation. We explore low-impact genetic sampling to survey burrowing petrels on remote sub-Antarctic Metabarcoding analysis of petrel scats and feathers helped inform species inventories and highlights the value of incorporating molecular methods into field surveys.
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