Utilisation of DNA barcoding in assessing the diversity of bats based on taxonomic records and identifying their plant-based diet in Peninsular Malaysia / Lim Voon Ching
In Peninsular Malaysia, the diversity of bats was previously assessed through morphological identification of captured bats while the diet of plant-visiting bats were examined through morphological identification of seeds and pollen grains collected from bats. Yet morphological identification is...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Published: |
2018
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| Online Access: | http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/8991/1/Lim_Voon_Ching.pdf http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/8991/8/voon_ching.pdf http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/8991/ |
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| Summary: | In Peninsular Malaysia, the diversity of bats was previously assessed through
morphological identification of captured bats while the diet of plant-visiting bats were
examined through morphological identification of seeds and pollen grains collected from
bats. Yet morphological identification is often of limited service when applied to
identification of morphologically similar bat and plant species. The objective of this
research is to use a molecular approach, DNA barcoding to review the diversity of bats
and their plant-based diet in Peninsular Malaysia. Through literature review and
Neighbour-Joining analyses of DNA barcodes available from bats sampled in Peninsular
Malaysia, at least 110 bat species have been documented in the region and eighteen of
them are species complex which deserve further investigation. The diet of frugivorous
bat, Cynopterus brachyotis, at secondary forest, oil palm plantation and urban area were
compared by identifying pulps and seeds found in the bats’ faeces using DNA barcoding.
Native and introduced plants were detected from bat faeces at all sampling sites,
suggesting the dual role of C. brachyotis in dispersing (i) native plants which aid in forest
regeneration, and (ii) introduced plants which potentially facilitate their invasion. The
diet of nectarivorous bat, Eonycteris spelaea at urban area was examined by identifying
the plant material present in the bat faeces using DNA metabarcoding. Many plant species
which were detected from the bat faeces have not been reported in previous dietary studies
of E. spelaea including ferns and figs, consequently suggesting that E. spelaea may not
be specialised nectarivore. Therefore, the use of DNA barcoding has highlighted the
taxonomic uncertainties in bats and provided new insights into diet of plant-visiting bats. |
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