Kaitlin Lopez
Texas State University
M.S. in the Wildlife Ecology Program
Assessing Seasonal Diets of Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) Using Microhistology and
DNA Metabarcoding
The objective of this study is to determine the seasonal food habits of waterbuck on the Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area using microhistology and DNA analysis techniques on collected fecal material. Quantitative vegetation surveys will also be conducted seasonally to determine plant composition on the property throughout the year. For microhistology, the epidermal structures of plant fragments observed in the fecal matter are examined under a microscope and used to identify fragments to species. For DNA analysis, the c to h region of the trnL (UAA) intron found in the chloroplasts will be targeted. This region of DNA is relatively short and highly variable between species making it an excellent region to target when amplifying the degraded DNA of digested plant material. The DNA sequenced from the fecal samples will be compared to sequences pulled from a DNA library to determine species. Once fragment analysis is complete, diet composition will be determined by comparing the percent occurrence of plant species observed in the fecal samples to the percent occurrence of plant species observed in the vegetation surveys.
