Single-copy nuclear DNA sequences obtained from noninvasively collected primate feces

Abstract

Noninvasively collected primate feces have been shown to provide a useful source of mitochondrial DNA for sequencing and nuclear microsatellite DNA for size analysis. In this study, single-copy nuclear DNA sequences were obtained from noninvasively collected fecal samples of two species of wild tamarins, Saguinus fuscicollis and S. mystax, in the context of a project on the functional utility of color vision. Noninvasive genotyping of the X-linked opsin gene is important for future studies of selection and adaptation at this locus in a number of primate species. The wide range of techniques that can now be applied successfully to DNA extracted from feces introduces a broad spectrum of potential genetic studies that can be undertaken on primates, without the need for intrusive or invasive methods.