How analyzing animal scat could save the world's rarest marsupial
In short: The Gilbert's potoroo is facing extinction, with fewer than 150 individuals remaining in the wild. To prevent a total loss, scientists are turning to a messy but vital source of information: animal droppings. By studying scat, researchers are uncovering the dietary secrets necessary to secure this species' future.
The Gilbert's potoroo, a critically endangered marsupial found exclusively in Western Australia, was once feared extinct until it was rediscovered in 1994. Today, with fewer than 150 animals left in the wild, conservationists are racing to prevent the species from vanishing forever. A primary strategy for survival is translocation—the process of moving organisms to new locations to establish 'insurance populations' that can survive localized disasters like bushfires.
To successfully relocate these animals, scientists must identify habitats that provide the specific nutrition they require. This is particularly difficult because the potoroo is mycophagous, meaning it eats fungi. Many fungi species remain undescribed by science, making traditional dietary studies—which involve manually inspecting undigested material in scat—extremely challenging and often inconclusive.
To overcome this, researchers from Edith Cowan University and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions are using a molecular technique called eDNA metabarcoding. By analyzing environmental DNA within fresh scat samples, scientists can decipher an animal's diet without the need to disturb the animal itself. This non-invasive method provides a clear window into the animal's nutritional needs.
Recent findings have compared the potoroo's diet with other mammals that share its historical habitats, such as the quokka, quenda, and bush rat. By identifying areas where these species overlap in diet and habitat use, researchers can pinpoint the most suitable locations for future translocation sites, ensuring the potoroo has the fungal resources it needs to thrive.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Studying Poop to Save Species
- Also: Scientists use DNA from poop to save the world’s rarest marsupial
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