Carnegie Discoverers: Understanding Diversity at Multiple Trophic Levels by Integrating DNA Metabarcoding and Photo Captures; from the Himalayas to the Laurel Highlands

Jan Janecke, PhD, Research Associate, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences, Duquesne University

Many mammals are cryptic and difficult to study, particularly felids and canids. Genetics and camera trapping are two very different approaches that shed light on the ecology of carnivores, from the snow leopard and wolf on the Tibetan Plateau to the bobcat and coyote in Appalachia. At Powdermill Nature Reserve, DNA metabarcoding and photo captures are being integrated to study ecological communities in the Laurel Highlands. Among the main goals are to understand recovery from open pit mining, effectiveness of land reclamation, as well as how environmental and biological factors influence bobcats, coyotes, their prey, and community diversity.

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