Back soon! Our bat species ID service is currently being optimised for the 2023 survey season
Bat DNA species ID through DNA testing can complement traditional surveying methods and your ecological studies revolutionising the way ecologists are able to survey organisms and their habitats.
DNA analysis is a powerful tool for surveying bats without disturbing, capturing or physically identifying them. It has been developed as a quick and accurate alternative to traditional surveying methods.
UK bat populations have declined drastically in the last century. Their breeding sites and resting places are fully protected by UK and European law. It is illegal to harm or disturb bats without seeking specialist advice. Find out more about UK bats from the Bat Conservation Trust.
ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION
Effective and accurate species identification is necessary for planning, conservation and population growth projects.
An example of DNA analysis being a valuable tool for species identification is with the visually very similar grey and brown long-eared bat species. Grey long-eared bats are considered very rare in the UK with brown long-eared bats relatively common which means that having an effective method of species identification when researching population size is very important. You can find out more about this in our Finding rare bats with DNA testing blog highlighting the work of similar laboratories to ourselves.
IN THE LAB
Our bat species ID testing service is made possible by using sophisticated molecular genetic techniques to analyse the DNA found in guano (bat faeces). With our bat species identification service, we can accurately and cost-effectively identify bat species known to be breeding in the UK.
First we extract the DNA present in the bat dropping sample and carry out multiple washing steps to remove impurities. Short fragments of a mitochondrial gene region (COI) are amplified with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using highly specific primers. This is carried out using quantitative PCR (qPCR) technology. After further cleaning steps, the DNA is then run through our state-of-the-art genetic analyser and matched against a database of known species, with the highest similarity being the correlating bat species.
UK BAT SPECIES
There are 18 species of bat in the UK, 17 of which are known to breed here, all of which are European protected species.
Barbastelle (Barbastella barbastellus)
Bechstein’s bat (Myotis bechsteinii)
Brandt’s bat (Myotis brandtii)
Brown long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus)
Common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus)
Daubenton’s bat (Myotis daubentonii)
Greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum)
Grey long-eared bat (Plecotus austriacus)
Leisler’s bat (Nyctalus leisleri)
Lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros)
Nathusius’ pipistrelle (Pipistrellus nathusii)
Natterer’s bat (Myotis nattereri)
Noctule (Nyctalus noctula)
Serotine (Eptesicus serotinus)
Soprano pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus)
Whiskered bat (Myotis mystacinus)
TIMESCALES
£66 incl. VAT
£54 incl. VAT
COLLECTING YOUR SAMPLE
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