Raccoon diet study using eDNA metabarcoding

Details

The aim of this study is to investigate the diet of raccoons captured in Walloon forests, specifically in the Saint-Michel-Fryer massif. By employing eDNA metabarcoding, we aim to analyse the composition of their food preferences, taking into account the bait that was used to attract them, and assess the contribution of native species to their diet. This will provide valuable insights into the interaction of this invasive mammal with the local fauna and will help in estimating its impact on the local environment.

This proposal includes the following aspects:

1. Organizing the transportation of the fecal samples from the collection point (DEMNA, Gembloux) to the laboratory.
2. Performing eDNA metabarcoding analyses, taking into account the presence of bait in the samples. It is important to distinguish between eDNA traces originating from the bait and the actual natural food that was consumed.
3. Identifying and implementing the most suitable DNA analysis method to identify the maximum number of consumed animal species, while avoiding biases from the bait as much as possible.
4. Conducting DNA extraction and bioinformatics analysis to identify the species present in the samples, if necessary using specific markers for target groups (birds, amphibians, fish, small mammals, etc.).
5. Associating a reliability or importance index with each result to indicate the relevance of the obtained data.

Status	Running
Actual start/end date	03/03/2025 - 01/03/2027

Teams

• Genetic Diversity

INBO Research theme(s)

• Invasive species

Tags

• edna
• ias
• invasive
• invasives
• invasivespecies