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Mendeley readers
Attention Score in Context
| Title |
Challenges to a molecular approach to prey identification in the Burmese python, Python molurus bivattatus
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
PeerJ, November 2015
|
| DOI | 10.7717/peerj.1445 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Bryan G. Falk, Robert N. Reed |
| Abstract |
Molecular approaches to prey identification are increasingly useful in elucidating predator-prey relationships, and we aimed to investigate the feasibility of these methods to document the species identities of prey consumed by invasive Burmese pythons in Florida. We were particularly interested in the diet of young snakes, because visual identification of prey from this size class has proven difficult. We successfully extracted DNA from the gastrointestinal contents of 43 young pythons, as well as from several control samples, and attempted amplification of DNA mini-barcodes, a 130-bp region of COX1. Using a PNA clamp to exclude python DNA, we found that prey DNA was not present in sufficient quality for amplification of this locus in 86% of our samples. All samples from the GI tracts of young pythons contained only hair, and the six samples we were able to identify to species were hispid cotton rats. This suggests that young Burmese pythons prey predominantly on small mammals and that prey diversity among snakes of this size class is low. We discuss prolonged gastrointestinal transit times and extreme gastric breakdown as possible causes of DNA degradation that limit the success of a molecular approach to prey identification in Burmese pythons. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 2 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 2 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Scientists | 2 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 33 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 1 | 3% |
| Unknown | 32 | 97% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Researcher | 9 | 27% |
| Student > Master | 9 | 27% |
| Student > Bachelor | 4 | 12% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 3 | 9% |
| Other | 1 | 3% |
| Other | 3 | 9% |
| Unknown | 4 | 12% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 17 | 52% |
| Environmental Science | 9 | 27% |
| Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 1 | 3% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 1 | 3% |
| Physics and Astronomy | 1 | 3% |
| Other | 0 | 0% |
| Unknown | 4 | 12% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 2. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 01 December 2015.
All research outputs
#13,450,711
of 22,833,393 outputs
Outputs from PeerJ
#7,273
of 13,268 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#186,219
of 386,693 outputs
Outputs of similar age from PeerJ
#149
of 229 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 22,833,393 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 39th percentile – i.e., 39% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 13,268 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 17.4. This one is in the 42nd percentile – i.e., 42% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 386,693 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 50% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 229 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 31st percentile – i.e., 31% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.