Scientists are using DNA from poop to save the world's rarest marsupial, the Gilbert's potoroo. This critically endangered species, found only in Western Australia, has fewer than 150 animals left in the wild. Researchers from Edith Cowan University (ECU) and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) are working together to better understand the potoroo's diet so that conservation teams can identify suitable new habitats and help secure the species' future.
The study uses environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding on scat samples, a non-invasive technique that allows scientists to study animals without disturbing them. By analyzing the DNA in the scat, researchers can determine what the potoroo is eating and where those resources can be found.
One of the challenges in studying the potoroo's diet is that many fungi remain undescribed. The team examined whether the diets of more common fungi-eating mammals overlapped with the Gilbert's potoroo. They found that there was some overlap in the diet of the four mammals, and that habitat use between the quokka and potoroo were also really similar.
The Gilbert's potoroo was once believed to have disappeared entirely before being rediscovered in 1994. Since then, conservation teams have tried several approaches to increase the population. Breeding them in captivity didn't work out, particularly because of how picky they are with their food resources. This is why wild-to-wild translocations are so important.
In 2015, a bushfire destroyed 90 percent of core potoroo habitat in Two Peoples Bay, which is home to the only natural population of Gilbert's potoroo. Fortunately, insurance populations had been established on Bald Island and in a fenced enclosure at Waychinicup National Park by DBCA. Researchers are now searching for another suitable mainland site to establish an additional population.
The study highlights the importance of fungi-eating mammals in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Fungi-eating mammals are ecosystem engineers, digging for fungi which helps in soil turnover, and they act as vectors for fungal spore dispersal. Unfortunately, many of Australia's mammals are threatened because of predation from introduced cats and foxes. That is why it is vital that we do everything we can to help protect our native wildlife, and translocations are one important way to accomplish that goal.
