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Metabarcoding

Topic

  • Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
  • Biotechnology
  • Genetics
  • Bioinformatics
  • Ecology
  • Populations

Resource Type

  • Videos
  • Clips

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege

Duration

00:03:38
Saved By
7 Users
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Description

This video describes the technology of metabarcoding, which allows scientists to determine herbivore diets based on the sequences of plant DNA extracted from animal dung.

Ecologist Robert Pringle describes how he uses DNA metabarcoding in his research. He sequences segments of DNA (the barcodes) from animal dung and matches them to sequences found in a reference library of plant DNA, in order to identify the plant species that the animal ate. This technique has allowed Pringle and colleagues to determine that not all grazers or browsers eat the same plants and to obtain a more accurate picture of how herbivores partition ecological niches by diet.

This clip is from a 2015 Holiday Lecture Series, Patterns and Processes in Ecology.

Key Terms

browser, competition, dietary niche partitioning, fecal sample, grazer, laboratory technique, method, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), sequencing, species coexistence

Primary Literature

Kartzinel, Tyler R., Patricia A. Chen, Tyler C. Coverdale, David L. Erickson, W. John Kress, Maria L. Kuzmina, Daniel I. Rubenstein, et al. “DNA metabarcoding illuminates dietary niche partitioning by African large herbivores.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112, 26 (2015): 8019–8024. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1503283112.

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Version History

Date Published 05.15.16
Date Updated 05.15.16

Materials

HD (M4V) 140 MB
HD (WMV) 114 MB
SD (M4V) 31 MB
SD (WMV) 30 MB

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