Predator-prey relationships are a crucial component of community ecology, and predator-prey studies inform our understanding of how predator populations influence the density and distribution of prey populations and vice versa. Bats are known to significantly influence populations of their insect prey and impact regional agricultural production when insect pests are consumed as prey. Although bats in the southeastern United States are typically considered to be generalist insectivores, previous diet studies suggest that some species exhibit prey preferences. However, most of these studies rely on morphological identification of dietary items, and may be biased towards hard-bodied or easily identified prey items. Additionally, direct observation of predation events and prey items consumed is often impractical due to the nocturnal nature of bats. Using DNA-based techniques we will identify prey from fecal samples collected from a colony of Brazilian free-tailed bats between May and September 2015. Prey genera and species will be recognized by comparison of the oxidase subunit I gene of cytochrome c (COI) isolated from fecal samples to sequences in GenBank and the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD), thus allowing for the inference of trophic linkages between these bats and their prey populations in Lamar County, GA.
