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Using DNA Barcodes to Identify Bird Species Involved in Birdstrikes
Author(s) -
DOVE CARLA J.,
ROTZEL NANCY C.,
HEACKER MARCY,
WEIGT LEE A.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the journal of wildlife management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1937-2817
pISSN - 0022-541X
DOI - 10.2193/2007-272
Subject(s) - barcode , dna barcoding , biology , mitochondrial dna , identification (biology) , dna , species identification , sample (material) , computational biology , evolutionary biology , zoology , genetics , ecology , computer science , gene , chemistry , chromatography , operating system
We determined effectiveness of using mitochondrial DNA barcodes ( cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 [CO1]) to identify bird‐aircraft collision (birdstrike) cases that lacked sufficient feather evidence for morphological diagnosis. From September through December 2006, 821 samples from birdstrike events occurring in the United States were submitted for DNA analysis. We successfully amplified a CO1 DNA barcode product from 554 (67.5%) of the samples; 267 (32.5%) did not contain viable DNA and depended on morphological methods (microscopy) for Order or Family level identification. We deemed 19 cases inconclusive either because the DNA barcode recovered from the sample did not meet our 98% match criteria when compared to the Barcode of Life Database (BoLD) or because the DNA barcode matched to a set of ≥ 2 closely related species with overlapping barcodes, preventing complete species identification. Age of the sample (≤6 months) did not affect DNA viability, but initial condition of the sample and the collection method was critical to DNA identification success. The DNA barcoding approach has great potential in aiding in identification of birds (and wildlife) for airfield management practices, particularly in regions of the world that lack the vast research collections and individual expertise for morphologic identifications.