@article{fdi:010066152,
  title = {{I}mproving morphological diet studies with molecular ecology : an application for invasive mammal predation on island birds},
  author = {{Z}arzoso-{L}acoste, {D}. and {B}onnaud, {E}. and {C}orse, {E}. and {G}illes, {A}. and {M}eglecz, {E}. and {C}ostedoat, {C}. and {G}ouni, {A}. and {V}idal, {E}ric},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{O}n islands, invasive predators, particularly feral cats and rats, are key drivers of bird population decline and extinction. {D}iet studies can be used to assess predator impacts on prey populations. {H}ere we first evaluated the resolution of morphological identification ({C}lass to {S}pecies) of bird remains in cat and rat diet studies. {W}e also analysed the effect of predator size/type (cat vs rat) and sample type (faecal vs stomach contents) on the taxonomic level of bird identification. {W}e found that difficulty in identifying bird remains significantly increased with taxonomic resolution (from {C}lass to {S}pecies) for both predators. {B}ird identification was more accurate in cat than in rat diets and no sample-type effect was detected in cat diets. {S}econd, we developed a set of molecular resources ({DNA} sequence database and bird-specific primer pairs) to detect and identify bird {DNA}. {W}e tested and validated primer pairs' taxonomic coverage and specificity using in silico and in vitro analyses. {T}he performances of morphological and molecular methods were then compared in a case study of cat and rat diet samples collected on {N}iau {A}toll ({F}rench {P}olynesia). {O}ur results highlight the efficiency of the molecular method in both detection and high-resolution identification of birds in predator diet samples. {A}s robust qualitative and quantitative diet analyses are required to accurately assess predator impacts on prey populations, we recommend combining morphological and molecular methods to maximise bird detection, identification and quantification, especially when rare or threatened birds are at stake.},
  keywords = {{B}ird conservation ; {I}nvasive predators ; {M}orphological and molecular diet analyses ; {P}rey detection and identification ; {Q}ualitative and quantitative data ; {POLYNESIE} {FRANCAISE} ; {NIAU} {ATOLL}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{B}iological {C}onservation},
  volume = {193},
  numero = {},
  pages = {134--142},
  ISSN = {0006-3207},
  year = {2016},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.biocon.2015.11.018},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010066152},
}