Study explores best practice for faecal sampling of grazers
Findings could change how grazing habits are investigated around the world.
A new study has prompted researchers from Aberystwyth University to examine faecal samples from alpacas and sheep living in Wales.
The project forms part of wider efforts to understand the diets of grazing animals and protect grasslands around the world.
Animal and ecology experts have trialled a number of different methods to determine what grazing animals eat. This has previously seen scientists identify tiny fragments of digested plants, and creating profiles of selected compounds.
For the first time, this study will compare the different techniques.
Alpacas and sheep at the Pwllpeiran Upland Research Centre have been under carefully controlled feeding trials. The animals receive custom mixed combinations of different pasture types.
Researchers then tested the different methods of pinpointing the animals’ diets. The faecal samples are then analysed with DNA metabarcoding, microhistological, n-alkane and long-chain alcohol analyses.
The study could change the way that animals’ diets are collected in future grazing experiments around the world.
It is hoped that an improved understanding of grazers’ diets will support initiatives to restore biodiversity in protected landscapes, such as national parks. These biomes are home to valuable wildlife, cultural heritage and water supplies.
Some grasslands have become heavily overgrazed, including some areas around the world which are crucial for retaining water. Scientists say that new strategies for controlling where animals graze are crucial for restoring fragile carbon-storing peatlands across the UK and the European Union.
Mariecia Fraser, Professor of Upland Agroecosystems and Head of Aberystwyth University’s Pwllpeiran Upland Research Centre, said: “When studying grazing animals, one of the biggest challenges facing animal scientists and ecologists is knowing who ate what. If we can truly understand what these grazing animals are eating, it can unlock new ways of farming and conservation that will help improve people’s livelihoods and the environment.
“Currently people are examining animals’ diets in a variety of ways, but we don’t know which is best. This is the first time alternative techniques have been directly compared.
“Our hope is that this work – involving some of the best experts around the world - can give us a definitive answer on how to decode animals’ diets. The better we can refine a technique, the better chance we have of protecting grazers and grasslands.”
Image © Gail Johnson/Shutterstock.com
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