Advances and Limitations of Next Generation Sequencing in Animal Diet Analysis

Genes

Shumiao Zhang¹  Xinsheng Zhao²  Minghao Gong²  Gang Liu²  Chao Li² 

[1] Beijing Milu Ecological Research Center, Beijing 100076, China;Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecological Function and Restoration in Beijing City, Wetland Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100091, China;

关键词: next generation sequencing (NGS);    diet analysis;    DNA metabarcoding;    trophic link;    foraging behavior;    nutrigenomics;   

DOI  :  10.3390/genes12121854

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Diet analysis is a critical content of animal ecology and the diet analysis methods have been constantly improving and updating. Contrary to traditional methods of high labor intensity and low resolution, the next generation sequencing (NGS) approach has been suggested as a promising tool for dietary studies, which greatly improves the efficiency and broadens the application range. Here we present a framework of adopting NGS and DNA metabarcoding into diet analysis, and discuss the application in aspects of prey taxa composition and structure, intra-specific and inter-specific trophic links, and the effects of animal feeding on environmental changes. Yet, the generation of NGS-based diet data and subsequent analyses and interpretations are still challenging with several factors, making it possible still not as widely used as might be expected. We suggest that NGS-based diet methods must be furthered, analytical pipelines should be developed. More application perspectives, including nutrient geometry, metagenomics and nutrigenomics, need to be incorporated to encourage more ecologists to infer novel insights on they work.

【 授权许可】

Unknown