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Description

Interactions between humans and local wildlife are inherent to urbanization and have created a demand for wildlife/human management solutions. Coyotes (Canislatrans) are prominent in urban ecosystems and can cause a variety of residential threats. The aim of this study is to monitor coyote distribution and activity in Long Beach, CA to better understand urban predatory behavior and develop local wildlife management techniques. One method for better understanding urban coyotes is through scat analysis, which provides insight into the specific animal species that comprise their diet. This study focuses on prey species identification using DNA isolated from coyote scat samples. DNA was isolated using a modified Chelexmethod, in which scat material was suspended in a higher volume and lower percentage Chelexsolution than the standard method. A 1,000 bpportion of the mitochondrial genome, which contains part of the cytochromebgene and D-loop region, was amplified using PCR. The PCR primers flanked the cytochromeb/D-loop region at sequences that are conserved in nearly all mammals (Foranet al. 1997). Since the amplified region is variable between species, restriction enzymes digest the region into different sized fragments. These fragments were visualized using gel electrophoresis and the banding pattern was read to determine species composition. The amplified DNA was digested using the BfaIrestriction enzyme. Determining dietary information on coyotes allows us to take effective steps towards managing wildlife and educating Long Beach residents on the predators that share their neighborhoods.

Publication Date

2019

Genetic Diet Analysis of Coyote Scat from Populations in Long Beach

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