BEARMOLECULARDIET

A universal approach for analyzing the diet of omnivorous mammals based on DNA barcoding and next generation sequencing: application to the brown bear population in northern Italy

Coordinatore	CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE    more  Organization address address: Rue Michel -Ange 3 city: PARIS postcode: 75794 contact info Titolo: Dr. Nome: Jean-Xavier Cognome: Boucherle Email: send email Telefono: +33 4 76881005 Fax: +33 4 76881174
Nazionalità Coordinatore	France [FR]
Totale costo	185˙748 €
EC contributo	185˙748 €
Programma	FP7-PEOPLE Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)
Code Call	FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IEF
Funding Scheme	MC-IEF
Anno di inizio	2011
Periodo (anno-mese-giorno)	2011-05-01   -   2013-04-30

 Partecipanti

#	participant	country	role	EC contrib. [€]
1	CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE  Organization address address: Rue Michel -Ange 3 city: PARIS postcode: 75794 contact info Titolo: Dr. Nome: Jean-Xavier Cognome: Boucherle Email: send email Telefono: +33 4 76881005 Fax: +33 4 76881174	FR (PARIS)	coordinator	185˙748.00

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The brown bear population in northern Italy is the result of a recent translocation and is of conservation concern also due to the high impact of human activities in the modern Alpine ecosystem. Diet studies are particularly important for endangered species or for population of conservation interest because accurate knowledge of animal diet is fundamental for evaluating the ecology of animals in their habitat. The general goal of the proposed project is to develop a universal and standardized tool for comprehensive molecular non-invasive diet analysis of omnivorous mammals, to validate it using the brown bear population in northern Italy, and finally to evaluate its use for understanding brown bear ecology in this region highly impacted by human presence. In particular, I intend to 1. set up a universal protocol based on DNA barcoding and next generation sequencing to identify the taxon of plant and animal components in bear faeces; 2. use the developed protocol to assess the diet at the population level; 3. determine diet at the individual level to address differences by age classes, sex, geographic areas, and for bears responsible for damages; and 4. compare results of molecular diet analysis with results from microscopic examination of faeces for bears in the region. This study is expected to reveal the potential of the new approach for diet analysis for more extensive ecological investigations that will contribute to bear conservation in the region. Information gained from this study will be transferred to local agencies involved in educational programs for promoting bear awareness and acceptance. In addition, the implementation of this project, involving mobility of the fellow to a European research institution leader in the application of DNA barcoding to ecological studies, offers a unique opportunity for professional development through training in research under the supervision of an experienced scientist and in new techniques in molecular ecology.'