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Masello JF, Schumm YR, Griep S, Quillfeldt P. Using Next-Generation Sequencing to Disentangle the Diet and Incidence of Intestinal Parasites of Falkland Flightless Steamer Duck Tachyeres brachypterus and Patagonian Crested Duck Lophonetta specularioides Sharing a South Atlantic Island. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14030731. [PMID: 36981002 PMCID: PMC10048246 DOI: 10.3390/genes14030731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Species overlapping in habitat use can cohabit depending on how they exploit resources. To understand segregation in resource use, an exhaustive knowledge of the diet is required. We aimed to disentangle the diet composition of the Falkland Flightless Steamer Duck Tachyeres brachypterus and the Patagonian Crested Duck Lophonetta specularioides sharing a coastal environment. Using DNA extracted from scats and Illumina sequencing, we generated a list of molecular operational taxonomic units. Both ducks consumed a variety of invertebrates, frequently overlapping in the taxa consumed. However, only the Falkland Flightless Steamer Ducks consumed fish, which might be indicative of dietary specialization and inter-specific segregation in the restricted space that these birds share. Moreover, the female and male Falkland Flightless Steamer Ducks consumed different fish prey, with almost one-third of the fish taxa being consumed by females only and another similar number consumed by males only. This result might suggest a case of intra-specific competition, triggering sexual segregation. Additionally, we detected parasitic Platyelminthes (Cestoda and Trematoda), with different frequencies of occurrence, probably related to the different diet compositions of the ducks. This study provides the necessary baseline for future investigations of the ecological segregation of these ducks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan F. Masello
- Department of Animal Ecology & Systematics, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26, D-35392 Giessen, Germany
- Correspondence:
| | - Yvonne R. Schumm
- Department of Animal Ecology & Systematics, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26, D-35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Sven Griep
- Institute for Bioinformatics & Systems Biology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 58, D-35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Petra Quillfeldt
- Department of Animal Ecology & Systematics, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26, D-35392 Giessen, Germany
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Handley JM, Harte E, Stanworth A, Poncet S, Catry P, Cleminson S, Crofts S, Dias M. Progressing delineations of key biodiversity areas for seabirds, and their application to management of coastal seas. DIVERS DISTRIB 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Emma Harte
- Falklands Conservation Stanley Falkland (Malvinas) Islands UK
| | | | - Sally Poncet
- The Antarctic Research Trust Stanley Falkland (Malvinas) Islands UK
| | - Paulo Catry
- MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre ISPA – Instituto Universitário Lisbon Portugal
| | - Sacha Cleminson
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Sandy UK
| | - Sarah Crofts
- Falklands Conservation Stanley Falkland (Malvinas) Islands UK
| | - Maria Dias
- BirdLife International Cambridge UK
- MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre ISPA – Instituto Universitário Lisbon Portugal
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c) Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa Lisbon Portugal
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