A Preliminary Application of Bird Surveys Using Environmental DNA Technology: in Futian Mangrove Nature Reserve

Abstract

Futian Mangrove Nature Reserve is a vital habitat for birds in Shenzhen city of China, and the diversity of bird species is of considerable concern. Traditional surveys depend on direct observation and expert assessment, necessitating significant manpower for tracking. This study utilized environmental DNA metabarcoding technology to gather 128 environmental samples of water, soil, and air, along with samples of bird feces and feathers collected during the summer and winter of 2023. A total of 72 bird operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified. The results revealed variations in bird detection across different environmental samples, with air samples yielding 52 bird OTUs, water samples 29, and soil samples 23. Detected bird OTUs were notably higher in winter samples compared to summer. Additionally, the average number of bird OTUs detected in air samples during summer and winter was 14.9 and 10.1, respectively, significantly exceeding those found in the corresponding water and soil samples. The identification of bird feces and feather samples confirmed the presence of the identified bird species in the environmental samples. This study concludes that environmental DNA technology can serve as a valuable complementary method for monitoring bird diversity, with different environmental samples showing distinct preferences in bird detection.