We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Fecal DNA analysis coupled with the sighting records re-expanded a known distribution of dugongs in Ryukyu Islands after half a century.
- Authors
Ozawa, Hiroyuki; Yoshihama, Takahiro; Gishitomi, Shogo; Watanabe, Natsuki; Ichikawa, Kotaro; Sato, Keiichi; Watanabe, Kenta; Takano, Katsuhiko; Ochiai, Yosuke; Yamanaka, Hiroki; Maruyama, Atsushi
- Abstract
DNA analysis of large herbivore feces samples collected from seagrass beds at two distant sites (Irabu Island in Miyako Islands and Kushi in Okinawa Island) in the Ryukyu Islands proved that some of these feces were from dugongs, which had been treated in recent studies as extinct in this region since the last stranding of a deceased individual in 2019. In addition, local knowledge of sightings of animals thought to be dugongs and confirmed cases of dugong feeding trails since 2010 were compiled to estimate its recent distribution. This is the first scientific report on the presence of this mammal in the Ryukyu Islands within the last four years, and particularly in the Miyako Islands within the last half-century. As the Ryukyu Islands are known to be the northern limit of the dugong's fragmented distribution in East Asia, conservation efforts are therefore needed.
- Subjects
RYUKYU Islands; OKINAWA Island (Japan); EAST Asia; FECAL analysis; DNA analysis; DUGONG; ISLANDS; SEAGRASSES; DNA
- Publication
Scientific Reports, 2024, Vol 14, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2045-2322
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s41598-024-58674-8