Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves

Using DNA Barcodes to Identify Road-Killed Animals in Two Atlantic Forest Nature Reserves, Brazil

A groundbreaking study demonstrates that DNA barcoding is a highly effective tool for identifying road-killed animals, particularly in fragmented habitats where morphological identification is challenging. Researchers analyzed 222 vertebrate samples collected along the BR-101 highway in Brazil's Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves, successfully identifying 62 different species, including several threatened or vulnerable ones such as Pyrrhura cruentata and Puma yagouaroundi. The most frequently encountered roadkill species were Molossus molossus (a bat), Didelphis aurita (an opossum), and Trachycephalus mesophaeus (a frog). However, the study noted a significant gap in reptile identification due to limited reference sequences in databases like BOLD. This research not only sheds light on the impact of road mortality on biodiversity but also highlights the potential of DNA barcoding as a critical tool for road ecology studies.