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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Fecal Findings: Investigating Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake Diet Using Dna Metabarcoding, Alyssa Swinehart
Fecal Findings: Investigating Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake Diet Using Dna Metabarcoding, Alyssa Swinehart
Masters Theses
Characterizing the diet of imperiled species using minimally invasive methods is crucial to understanding their conservation requirements. DNA metabarcoding methods have been used to characterize the diet primarily in mammalian systems, while reptiles are heavily underrepresented in this literature. Here, we apply a DNA metabarcoding approach to study the diet of the eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus); a Federally Threatened snake found throughout the Great Lakes Region. Eighty-three fecal samples collected across 10 different massasauga populations located in Michigan were sequenced. We use universal metazoan primers and develop a host-specific oligonucleotide blocker to uncover the full potential diet …
Use Of Imaging Flow Cytometry To Assess The Hematology Of Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus Catenatus), Jennifer H. Kovach
Use Of Imaging Flow Cytometry To Assess The Hematology Of Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus Catenatus), Jennifer H. Kovach
Masters Theses
The federally threatened eastern massasauga rattlesnake is faced with many threats, including the newly recognized snake fungal disease. Unfortunately, the immune response to the disease is unknown. Leukocyte profiles are used as health assessment tools for many species, and imaging flow cytometry can be used as an application to characterize leukocyte profiles. Our goal was to use imaging flow cytometry to identify leukocyte profiles of eastern massasauga rattlesnakes and determine differences in profiles between sexes, reproductive status, ages, location, and individuals with clinical signs of snake fungal disease. Blood samples from 201 individuals were collected from ten locations throughout the …