Evaluation of plant contamination in metabarcoding diet analysis of a herbivore

BACKGROUND There are an increasing number of mobile applications that provide dietary guidance in supporting healthy lifestyle and disease management. However, the characteristics of these nutrition-related apps are not well analyzed. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the functionality and quality of nutrition-related apps in China. METHODS Mobile apps providing dietary guidance were screened in Chinese iOS and android app stores using stepwise searching criteria in November 2017. Primary review was conducted by extracting information from the description of apps. Free apps that contain all the information of diet and nutrition, with the last update after 1st Jan 2016 were downloaded for further analysis on the nutritional functionality features based on the framework of Chinese Dietary Guidelines and on the market related features as well. The user version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS) was used to assess the quality of apps. RESULTS Among the 44 downloaded nutrition-related apps screened from 628 apps with dietary guidance content, only 11(25%) were aimed exclusively for dietary guidance, the others were aimed for fitness guidance (17, 39%), disease management (11, 25%) and maternal health (5, 11%) respectively. The nutritional functionalities of the 44 apps included nutritional information enquiry (40, 91%), nutrition education (35, 80%), food record (34, 77%), diet analysis (34, 77%), and personalized recipes (21, 48%). Twelve out of 44 apps contained all of the above five nutrition related functionalities. The diet analysis and suggestions were mainly focused on energy (33/44, 75%), less on other factors like dietary structure (10/44, 23%). About 96% (42/44) of the apps provided social communication functionality and 59% (26/44) of the apps supported user incentives. Eight out of 44 apps (18%) also applied intelligent recognition technology. Using 5-point uMARS as scales of quality, the median scores of the 44 apps was 3.6 (IQR = 0.7). CONCLUSIONS Most nutrition-related apps are developed in the service of health management other than for dietary guidance exclusively. Although basic energy balance theory was generally applied, the nutritional functionality of the nutrition-related apps is relatively limited and not individualized. More efforts should be taken to integrate with the scientific nutritional knowledge and innovative technology in developing an app followed with complete and personalized dietary guidance.

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Intraspecific differences in the diet of Kuril harbor seals (Phoca vitulina stejnegeri) in Erimo, Hokkaido, using DNA barcoding diet analysis

Mammal Research ◽

10.1007/s13364-021-00586-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mina Jimbo ◽

Yuki F. Kita ◽

Mari Kobayashi ◽

Yoko Mitani

Keyword(s):

Dna Barcoding ◽

Phoca Vitulina ◽

Diet Analysis ◽

Harbor Seals

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Using next generation sequencing of alpine plants to improve fecal metabarcoding diet analysis for Dall’s sheep

BMC Research Notes ◽

10.1186/s13104-021-05590-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kelly E. Williams ◽

Damian M. Menning ◽

Eric J. Wald ◽

Sandra L. Talbot ◽

Kumi L. Rattenbury ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sequence Data ◽

Vascular Plant ◽

Alpine Plants ◽

Diet Analysis ◽

Reference Sequence ◽

Reference Library ◽

Ovis Dalli ◽

Plant Animal Interactions ◽

Dall’S Sheep ◽

Northwestern North America

Abstract Objectives Dall’s sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) are important herbivores in the mountainous ecosystems of northwestern North America, and recent declines in some populations have sparked concern. Our aim was to improve capabilities for fecal metabarcoding diet analysis of Dall’s sheep and other herbivores by contributing new sequence data for arctic and alpine plants. This expanded reference library will provide critical reference sequence data that will facilitate metabarcoding diet analysis of Dall’s sheep and thus improve understanding of plant-animal interactions in a region undergoing rapid climate change. Data description We provide sequences for the chloroplast rbcL gene of 16 arctic-alpine vascular plant species that are known to comprise the diet of Dall’s sheep. These sequences contribute to a growing reference library that can be used in diet studies of arctic herbivores.

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Detecting predation of a burrow-nesting seabird by two introduced predators, using stable isotopes, dietary analysis and experimental removals

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr07037 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 34 (6) ◽

pp. 443 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Grant A. Harper

Keyword(s):

Rattus Rattus ◽

Isotopic Analysis ◽

Diet Analysis ◽

Passerine Birds ◽

Dietary Analysis ◽

Stable Isotopic Analysis ◽

Introduced Predators ◽

Ship Rat ◽

Stable Isotopic ◽

Burrowing Seabirds

Burrowing seabirds are vulnerable to extirpation by introduced predators such as rats, but much evidence of predation is circumstantial. On Taukihepa, an island off southern New Zealand, two possible predators exist with sooty shearwaters (Puffinus griseus): the weka (Gallirallus australis), a large rail, and the ship rat (Rattus rattus), both introduced to the island. It was expected that chick predation would be principally by weka, the much larger of the two predators. To measure losses of sooty shearwater chicks to weka or rats, nests were monitored with burrow-scopes at six sites in the summers of 2003–04 and 2004–05. In three of the sites rats were removed on 4-ha grids by trapping. In the other three sites rats were not trapped. In addition, weka were removed from all six sites in 2005. Concurrent diet analysis of weka and rat stomachs was undertaken as well as stable isotopic analysis (δ13C, δ15N) of samples from rats and weka. These were compared with possible prey items including sooty shearwaters. Additional stable isotope samples were taken from Pacific rats (Rattus exulans), a small rat species present with weka and sooty shearwaters on nearby Moginui Island. Weka diet comprised ~40% of bird remains by volume and calculations using Isosource, an isotopic source portioning model, estimated sooty shearwaters contributed 59% (range: 15–71%) of weka diet during the sooty shearwater chick-raising period. Ship rats, in contrast, had very depleted δ13C isotope signatures compared with sooty shearwaters and bird remains contributed <9% of diet by volume, with Isosource calculations suggesting that ship rats consumed more passerine birds (mean: 30%; range 5–51%) than sooty shearwaters (mean 24%; range: 0–44%). In both summers, more chicks were lost on sites from which rats had been removed than on control sites. When weka were removed in 2005, fewer chicks were lost than in 2004 and significantly fewer weka-killed chicks were found on weka-removal sites than on non-removal sites. Weka were the principal predator of sooty shearwater chicks, depredating an estimated 9.9% of nests. Combining several techniques quantified the loss and identified the principal predator of a seabird in decline.

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Back-Calculation of Fish Size in Diet Analysis of Piscivorous Predators: A New Index for the Alien Silurus glanis

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13084322 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 4322

Author(s):

Renato Bacchetta ◽

Andrea Marotta ◽

Alessandro Nessi ◽

Paolo Tremolada

Keyword(s):

Diet Analysis ◽

Native Range ◽

Top Predator ◽

Silurus Glanis ◽

K Index ◽

Caudal Vertebrae ◽

Back Calculation ◽

Control Capability ◽

The Mean ◽

Bone Remains

The wels catfish Silurus glanis has been constantly spreading in many European basins, outside its native range. Being a voracious predator, it is considered to have a severe impact on local fish communities. In the Ticino River (Northern Italy), bones of S. glanis were found in feces from the top predator Lutra lutra. To estimate the control capability of L. lutra for this species and to back-calculate S. glanis’ size from its bone remains, whole skeletons from 27 differently sized S. glanis specimens were analyzed. A double pharyngeal element and all caudal vertebrae emerged as significant items for species identification. The mean length of the pharyngeal element was directly related to fish mass, while for vertebrae, a K-index was proposed to identify the position of each vertebra along the spine and, from this, to calculate the original fish mass. This methodology allowed us to establish that the length of the preyed S. glanis was 85–435 mm, and the ages were between 0+ and 2+ years. The proposed methodology opens new perspectives for more detailed studies on the efficiency of predation by piscivorous species on allochthonous ones.

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Anuran larvae diet from agroecosystem’s ponds: environmental quality and implications for their populations

Journal of Limnology ◽

10.4081/jlimnol.2016.1455 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Selene Babini ◽

Luciana Cibils Martina ◽

Elisa Luque ◽

Noemi Gari ◽

Nancy Salas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Quality ◽

Native Species ◽

Morphometric Parameters ◽

Diet Analysis ◽

Temporary Ponds ◽

Nitzschia Palea ◽

Composition And Structure ◽

Structural Variables ◽

Algal Abundance

Agriculture is considered an important factor for the decline of amphibians recorded in the last decades. Intensive agriculture requires the application of great amounts of pesticides and fertilizers, consequently many aquatic habitats have been altered. The over-enrichment of waters with nutrients from agriculture causes growth of algae and cyanobacteria and the shift of the community composition toward the dominance of tolerant taxa. The aim of this study was to analyze the diet of tadpoles and the size of larvae and metamorphs of the native species Rhinella arenarum in agroecosystems of central Argentina. Four sampling sites with different degree of human disturbance were selected, three temporary ponds from agroecosystems (A1, A2, A3), and a pond in a semi-modified landscape, not affected by agriculture or cattle. The sites were visited once a week from October 2013 to January 2014. Tadpoles and metamorphs were captured, anesthetize and preserved. Morphometric parameters were measured on tadpoles and metamorphs and for 20 tadpoles the complete intestine was removed and their contents analyzed. Phosphate values were higher in agroecosystem ponds. Body size and mass of tadpoles and metamorphs were different between sites, being smaller in agricultural ponds. Diet analysis revealed that all larvae mainly consumed microalgae. Larval diets allowed differentiating the sites, larvae from A1 and A3 sites showed a diet with a similar composition and structure (with a predominance of Nitzschia palea), meanwhile larvae from A2 and SM showed different diets. In SM, the larvae mainly consumed Trachelomonas sp. Analysis of structural variables revealed a higher algal abundance in the diet of larvae from A3, a lower richness in SM and that there were no differences between sites in diversity and evenness of diets. Our hypothesis was support in part, given that resistant algae taxa were found in agroecosystem ponds and tadpoles and metamorphs were smaller, but larval diets showed higher abundance and richness. The analysis of the diet of aquatic stages of R. arenarum allowed us to know the trophic availability and environmental quality of temporary ponds from agroecosystems.

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