Günther Babett, Jourdain Eve, Rubincam Lindsay, Karoliussen Richard, Cox Sam L, Arnaud Haond Sophie
ISEM (Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution), Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France.
MARBEC (Marine Biodiversity Exploitation and Conservation), Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Sète, France.
Sci Rep. 2022 Apr 19;12(1):6412. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-09285-8.
Following the sudden appearance, and subsequent efforts to support the survival of a beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) speculated to have been previously trained off the coast of Norway, we investigate the animal's ability to readapt to life in the wild. Dietary DNA (dDNA) analysis was used to assess diet throughout this rehabilitation process, and during a return to unassisted foraging and self-feeding. Metabarcoding of feces collected throughout this process, confirmed the diversification of the beluga whale's diet to local prey. These findings are indicative of improved foraging behavior, and the ability of this individual to resume wild foraging following a period of dependency in managed care. New insight of digestion rates, and the time window during which prey detection through dDNA analysis is appropriate was also obtained. Beyond the case study presented here, we demonstrate the power of dDNA analysis as a non-intrusive tool to assess the diet of large mammals and track progress adapting to life in the wild following release from captivity and rehabilitation programs.
在一头推测此前在挪威海岸外接受过训练的白鲸（白鲸属）突然出现并随后为支持其生存而做出努力之后，我们调查了这头动物重新适应野生生活的能力。在整个康复过程以及恢复自主觅食和自我进食期间，利用饮食DNA（dDNA）分析来评估其饮食情况。对在此过程中收集的粪便进行代谢条形码分析，证实了白鲸的饮食已多样化至当地猎物。这些发现表明其觅食行为有所改善，并且这头白鲸在经过一段时间的人工饲养依赖后能够恢复野生觅食。此外，还获得了关于消化率以及通过dDNA分析检测猎物的合适时间窗口的新见解。除了此处介绍的案例研究之外，我们还展示了dDNA分析作为一种非侵入性工具的强大作用，可用于评估大型哺乳动物的饮食，并跟踪其在从圈养和康复项目中放归后适应野生生活的进展情况。
