DNA barcoding identifies cryptic animal tool materials

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Abstract

Some animals fashion tools or constructions out of plant materials to aid foraging, reproduction, self-maintenance, or protection. Their choice of raw materials can affect the structure and properties of the resulting artifacts, with considerable fitness consequences. Documenting animals’ material preferences is challenging, however, as manufacture behavior is often difficult to observe directly, and materials may be processed so heavily that they lack identifying features. Here, we use DNA barcoding to identify, from just a few recovered tool specimens, the plant species New Caledonian crows ( Corvus moneduloides) use for crafting elaborate hooked stick tools in one of our long-term study populations. The method succeeded where extensive fieldwork using an array of conventional approaches—including targeted observations, camera traps, radio-tracking, bird-mounted video cameras, and behavioral experiments with wild and temporarily captive subjects—had failed. We believe that DNA barcoding will prove useful for investigating many other tool and construction behaviors, helping to unlock significant research potential across a wide range of study systems.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Journal ID (hwp): pnas

Journal ID (publisher-id): PNAS

Title: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Publisher: National Academy of Sciences

ISSN (Print): 0027-8424

ISSN (Electronic): 1091-6490

Publication date (Print): 20 July 2021

Publication date (Electronic): 12 July 2021

Publication date PMC-release: 12 July 2021

Volume: 118

Issue: 29

Electronic Location Identifier: e2020699118

Affiliations

[1] ^aCentre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews , St Andrews KY16 9TH, United Kingdom;

[2] ^bRoyal Botanic Garden Edinburgh , Edinburgh EH3 5LR, United Kingdom;

[3] ^cThe Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University , Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia;

[4] ^dInstitut de Recherche pour le Développement, Centre de Nouméa , 98848 Nouméa, New Caledonia, France

Author notes

³To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: christian.rutz@ 123456st-andrews.ac.uk .

Edited by Scott V. Edwards, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, and approved May 2, 2021 (received for review February 11, 2021)

Author contributions: M.P.S., L.E.N., B.C.K., J.J.H.S.C., P.M.H., and C.R. designed research; M.P.S., L.E.N., B.C.K., J.J.H.S.C., J.R.S.M.F., V.H., P.S., P.M.H., and C.R. performed research; M.P.S., L.E.N., B.C.K., and P.M.H. analyzed data; M.P.S., L.E.N., and C.R. wrote the paper; and C.R. led, and secured funding for, the long-term project.

¹M.P.S. and L.E.N. contributed equally to this work.

²Present address: Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany.