Mosquito iDNA reveals landscape patterns of birds and mammals

Changes in fire regimes and the introduction of invasive species are negatively impacting Northern Australia's biota, highlighting the need for reliable biodiversity monitoring data. Here we used mosquito‐ingested DNA (iDNA) to detect birds and mammals within Kakadu National Park. Six sites were sampled on two occasions (wet and dry season), with three traps deployed for two consecutive nights of sampling at each site. Mosquitoes were processed in bulk samples per trap ranging from 31 to 1987 mosquitoes. Extracted DNA was amplified using primers targeting vertebrates (12SV5), mammals (16SMam1/2) and birds (Aves01) with iDNA‐derived richness and composition measured. A total of 50 avian and 19 mammalian taxa were detected, including threatened species such as the white‐throated grasswren (Amytornis woodwardi) and the ghost bat (Macroderma gigas), along with difficult‐to‐monitor groups such as small‐bodied and arboreal mammals. Community composition was shown to be distinct between sampli..., Bulk mosquito samples were collected from six 1ha sites across two field campaigns undertaken during a wet and dry season. At each site three EVS traps were set up and samples were collected for two consecutive nights. A total of 71 bulk samples were collected and processed using a salting out procedure that could be adapted for the variability in the size of the bulk samples. Samples were PCR'd using three primers (12SV5, 16SMam1/2 and Aves01), with all PCRs performed in triplicates. PCR product was cleaned using a Minielute kit and the three primers were pooled equamolar. Before being sent to the Ramaciotti centre for genomics where they were sequenced on a Novaseq 6000 sequencing run. Raw sequencing data was firstly processed using OBITools, with the steps briefly including reassembling paired ended reads, removal of poor quality reads, assignment of reads to their relvant primer and sample, dereplication of reads and initial taxonomic assignments. Following processing through OBIToo..., , # Mosquito iDNA reveals landscape patterns of birds and mammals

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.j0zpc86q1](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.j0zpc86q1)

## Description of the data and file structure

Data presents birds and mammals detected from iDNA from bulk mosquito samples collected from six sites across two sampling periods, representative of the wet and dry seasons in Kakadu National Park.

### Files and variables

#### File: RM-environmentaldata-nightsmerged-correct.csv

**Description:** vegetation characteristics and recent fire regimes of the six sites sampled in Kakadu National Park

##### Variables

* Sample: name of sample
* Site: which site it was collected from S1, S3, S4, S5, S7, S8
* Season: if the data corresponds to the wet or dry season 
* Night
* Fire: degree of burning observed during the dry season
* Stem.density: the number of trees wider than 10cm in width
* Total.overstorey: the percentage of overstorey cover
* Understoreycover: the percentage of understorey cover
*...,