BIO

I am a Compuational Biology student who loves arthropods and reptiles. I hope to be able to pursue a career in research and continue working with the species I love.

A Diet Analysis of the Hentz Striped Scorpion Using DNA Metabarcoding

Abstract

Analyzing the diet of invertebrates is made incredibly difficult by their small size, reclusive habits, and the absence of morphological characteristics present in fecal samples. Due to this nature of invertebrate predators, DNA-based approaches provide us with one of the only concrete methods to analyze their diet. The usage of DNA metabarcoding helps us to explore the dietary composition of these animals by allowing us to extract and analyze samples of prey DNA found in the digestive tract. The Hentz striped scorpion (Centruroides hentzi) is a species endemic to the southeastern United States. In this project we use the process of DNA metabarcoding to analyze the diets of C. hentzi. For the analysis 104 individuals, 50 males and 54 females, were collected from the Leon county region of northern Florida. Each individual was then dissected to remove gut tissue and from this prey DNA was extracted. Two primer sets, a universal set and a taxon-specific set, were used for the separation of short prey DNA sequences. These extracted sequences are specific to prey taxa and can then be analyzed to discern the dietary makeup of the individuals. Through this methodology we are able to investigate the ecological relationship between C. hentzi and other invertebrates within the same habitat.

Keywords: Biology, Genetics, Invertebrates