Zoonotic potential of urban wildlife faeces, assessed through metabarcoding.

Monitoring zoonoses in urban environments is of great relevance, where the incidence of certain pathogens may be higher and where population density makes the spread of any contagious disease more likely. In this study we applied a metabarcoding approach to study potentially zoonotic pathogens in faecal samples of 9 urban vertebrate species. We applied this methodology with two objectives.

Dietary DNA metabarcoding reveals a trophic niche partitioning among sympatric Iberian sandgrouses and bustards.

The study of trophic niche partitioning is of great importance for understanding community structure and species coexistence, particularly if these are threatened. Here DNA metabarcoding was used to assess the diet of four threatened steppe bird species (two bustards and two sandgrouses), with the aim of better understanding their dietary requirements, trophic interactions, and potential threats. The results showed seasonal and interspecific differences in their plant diet, with greater importance of cultivated plants during autumn and winter (around 50 % of their diet) than spring.

Diet and Spatial Ecology Influence Red-Legged Partridge Exposure to Pesticides Used as Seed Treatment.

Seed treatment with pesticides is an extended agricultural practice with a high risk to granivorous birds that consume those seeds. To characterize that risk, it is necessary to understand the ecological factors that determine the exposure chances of birds to treated seeds. We investigated how pesticide uptake by red-legged partridges was related to cultivated plant ingestion and to the use of recently sown fields.

Simultaneous analysis of the intestinal parasites and diet through eDNA metabarcoding.

Agricultural expansion and intensification are having a huge impact on plant and arthropod diversity and abundance, affecting food availability for farmland birds. Difficult food access, in turn, can lead to immunosuppression and a higher incidence of parasites. In the studies designed to examine changes in the diet of birds and their parasites, metabarcoding is proving particularly useful.

Metabarcoding insights into the diet and trophic diversity of six declining farmland birds.

Knowledge of feeding ecology of declining species, such as farmland birds, is essential to address their conservation requirements, especially when their habitats are suffering important reductions of trophic resources. In this study, we apply a metabarcoding approach to describe the diet composition of six of the most significant farmland birds inhabiting European cereal pseudo-steppes: little bustard, great bustard, pin-tailed sandgrouse, black-bellied sandgrouse, red-legged partridge, and common quail. We further studied seasonal diet variations (autumn to spring) in all species but the common quail, whose diet was studied during spring and summer.

Farmland composition and farming practices explain spatio-temporal variations in red-legged partridge density in central Spain.

Many farmland bird populations are declining, and their negative trends are often associated with changes in land-use or farming practices, including the use of agrochemicals. The red-legged partridge (RLP) is a Mediterranean farmland game species of high socio-economic importance whose populations are thought to have declined sharply since the mid-20th century associated with farmland changes. However, no large-scale studies have tested whether abundance or trends of RLP are related to farmland composition or management.