Microbiome Analysis

what we do and why (collect poops and put in RNSlater to examine differences in microbiome between species of langurs to better understand their diets and ability to be flexible as climate and forests change…. stuff like this 

Fecal samples for gut microbial analysis are collected every 3 months from most adult individuals in each group under habituation in core and edge habitats across seasons to begin understanding the effect of habitat quality. We store the sample in an RNSlater solution to examine and compare the gut contents between species of langurs to better understand their diets. Samples will be sent to Dr. Amato’s lab at Northwestern University for the extraction and testing of individual strains and genera (e.g., pathogenic and anti-inflammatory strains).  These methods and analyses are  critical to understanding how changes in food availability due to climate change and habitat loss will impact the survival  of these Endangered species.