A real-time PCR assay for detecting trace amounts of kiwi (Apteryx spp.) DNA

To create a broadly applicable tool for kiwi (Apteryx spp.) conservation programmes, we developed and tested a TaqMan™ real-time PCR assay designed to detect trace amounts of kiwi DNA in both predator faeces and environmental soil samples. Primers and a probe were designed to specifically target a 169 bp (bp) fragment of the cytochrome oxidase c subunit I gene in all kiwi species. In laboratory testing the assay proved to be equally sensitive when kiwi DNA was added to DNA from faeces of a common predator of kiwi (stoat, Mustela erminea) as it was when kiwi DNA was tested alone, though when kiwi DNA was added to that from soil the assay was slightly less sensitive. The assay demonstrates potential to be used for population monitoring and detecting kiwi presence via testing of environmental samples, as well as for identifying instances of kiwi predation via testing of predator faecal samples.