Tracking diet preferences of large mammalian herbivores via the arthropods they ingest

This project aims to analyze the diet preferences of large mammalian herbivores according to the insects identified in their feces by using DNA metabarcoding. We conducted a grazing experiment in the grasslands of north-east China and collected fecal samples of sheep and cattle from different time points and previously grazed/ungrazed plots. We sequences these samples using primers targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene in arthropods.