Unlocking Animal Diets with eDNA: Kevin Groen earns PhD for his research!

Kevin Groen, a PhD researcher at Leiden University, has made significant strides in the field of environmental DNA by using genetic analysis to uncover the diets of wild animals. His research offers a more accurate, non-invasive alternative to traditional diet analysis methods, such as examining stomach contents or scat for identifiable remains like bones, hairs, or seeds. These older techniques are often labor-intensive, limited in precision, and sometimes harmful to the animals involved.

Groen’s work focuses on combining qualitative and quantitative DNA analyses. Qualitative analysis identifies the variety of species consumed by detecting their DNA in droppings, while quantitative analysis estimates the proportion of each food source ingested. This dual approach offers deeper insights into feeding behavior and ecological interactions.

In controlled experiments with wood mice, Groen demonstrated that the amount of seed DNA in their droppings correlated with how many seeds the mice had consumed, up to a certain point. This suggests that eDNA analysis can accurately estimate not only what animals eat but also how much, offering valuable data on exposure to substances like pesticides.

Expanding his research, Groen applied these methods to lion scat in Kenya. While he successfully identified prey species, he also detected unexpected DNA from other carnivores, highlighting challenges such as environmental contamination and the importance of combining eDNA with traditional analysis for validation.

Groen's innovative research opens new doors for wildlife conservation and ecological studies, positioning eDNA as a powerful tool for understanding animal diets. His work not only advances scientific knowledge but also earns him a PhD title in the rapidly evolving field of eDNA research.

You can find Kevin’s dissertation here: https://hdl.handle.net/1887/4094106