Home › Analytical Chem › A Noninvasive Hair Sampling Technique to Obtain High Quality DNA from Elusive Small Mammals
Analytical Chem JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

A Noninvasive Hair Sampling Technique to Obtain High Quality DNA from Elusive Small Mammals

DOI: 10.3791/2791-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Construct a hair snare for small mammals
  • ✓ Collect hair samples noninvasively in the field
  • ✓ Extract genomic DNA from collected hair
  • ✓ Amplify molecular markers for genetic analysis
Protocol

Biopharma Insights We present a noninvasive sampling approach to efficiently collect hair samples from elusive small mammals, as shown for the American pika. We demonstrate the utility of this method by extracting DNA from sampled hair and amplifying several types of molecular markers commonly used in studies of wildlife ecology and conservation.

Difficulty
intermediate
Total time
~1-2 days per sample set
Model organism
American pika (Ochotona princeps)
Biosafety
BSL-1

Steps

1
Set up hair snares in field

Place hair snares in suitable habitat to capture hair from target small mammals without capture.

▶ 02:19
2
Extract DNA from hair samples

Perform DNA extraction from collected hair samples using appropriate laboratory protocols.

▶ 03:47
3
Analyze representative genetic results

Review representative results of DNA extraction and PCR amplification to assess marker success.

▶ 06:18
4
Conclude and discuss methodology

Summarize the utility and application of the noninvasive sampling method for wildlife studies.

▶ 07:03
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