Bat guano is a noninvasive, data-rich genetic resource. However, the constituent bat DNA is relatively scant, degraded, and complexed with polymerase chain reaction inhibitors. It also is comingled with a rich pool of nontarget DNA from microbes, parasites, and dietary items. We designed and tested new DNA assays for bat species identification (COX1-Bat) and sex identification (XGXYC) for use with guano and other challenging samples. We reviewed previously published assays that can be used with guano samples to obtain the same species and sex data, and attempted to validate these assays for species in which they had not previously been tested. Our results demonstrate that guano-derived DNA can be used successfully to 1) identify nearly all US and Canadian bats at the species level, or to one of three Myotis species clusters, and 2) identify the sex of at least 23 US and Canadian bat species. Our newly developed assays, and validation of previously published assays, for guano-based identification of species and sex in bats, significantly enhance the power of noninvasive sampling and genetic analysis for bat studies, management, and conservation.

中文翻译：

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基于鸟粪的美国和加拿大蝙蝠物种和性别鉴定的遗传分析

蝙蝠鸟粪是一种非侵入性的、数据丰富的遗传资源。然而，蝙蝠 DNA 的成分相对较少、降解并与聚合酶链反应抑制剂复合。它还与来自微生物、寄生虫和饮食项目的大量非目标 DNA 混合在一起。我们设计并测试了用于蝙蝠物种识别 (COX1-Bat) 和性别识别 (XGXYC) 的新 DNA 检测方法，用于鸟粪和其他具有挑战性的样本。我们回顾了先前发表的可用于鸟粪样本以获得相同物种和性别数据的分析，并尝试验证这些分析是否适用于之前未进行过测试的物种。我们的结果表明，鸟粪衍生的 DNA 可成功用于 1) 在物种水平上识别几乎所有美国和加拿大蝙蝠，或识别三个 Myotis 物种集群之一，2) 确定至少 23 种美国和加拿大蝙蝠物种的性别。我们新开发的检测方法以及对先前发表的检测方法的验证，用于基于鸟粪的蝙蝠物种和性别鉴定，显着增强了非侵入性采样和遗传分析对蝙蝠研究、管理和保护的能力。