Elucidation of the food chain for conservation of Tsushima leopard cat, and relation analysis between gut microbiome and individual characteristics

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H06892
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Conservation of biological resources
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Ito Hideyuki 京都大学, 野生動物研究センター, 特任研究員 (10779648)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): MURAYAMA Miho 京都大学, 野生動物研究センター, 教授 (60293552)
• Research Collaborator: SATO Hiroki 環境省・九州地方環境事務所, 対馬自然保護官事務所(対馬野生生物保護センター), 首席自然保護官 ; MINOURA Chisa 環境省・九州地方環境事務所, 対馬自然保護官事務所(対馬野生生物保護センター), 獣医師 ; TAKAGI Naoko 京都市動物園, 種の保存展示課, 飼育員 ; YASUI Saki 京都市動物園, 種の保存展示課, 飼育員
• Project Period (FY): 2016-08-26 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: ツシマヤマネコ / 食性解析 / 腸内細菌叢 / 次世代シークエンス / 遺伝的多様性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Tsushima leopard cat inhabits only in Tsushima island, Nagasaki Prefecture. Due to various factors (eg. destruction of habitats), the number of population is decreasing.
Analysis using feces which is a noninvasive technique is very useful for analysis of wild animals. Accurate information on food is extremely useful for in situ and ex situ conservation and captive breeding management. Analysis of gut microbiome which is related to animal health (eg. immunity and fat) can be useful information for conservation. In this study, we analyzed food and metagenome analysis of gut microbiome using the next generation sequencer.
DNA was extracted using feaces from captive individuals and wild individuals, and PCR and tag labeling were conducted for the purpose of preparing a library for the next generation sequence, but the concentration of the final library was low and the conditions had to be reexamined.

Free Research Field

保全遺伝学