{"id":250,"date":"2021-01-07T14:48:30","date_gmt":"2021-01-07T14:48:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/bat-ecology-genetics\/?page_id=250"},"modified":"2025-11-05T22:53:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T22:53:36","slug":"sff","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/bat-ecology-genetics\/sff\/","title":{"rendered":"Species from Feces"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Learn About Species from Feces in 1 Minute\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/omdvNEc1hD8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"section-title\" style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #09096b\">Who we serve<\/span><\/h1>\n<p class=\"sub-title\" style=\"text-align: center\">We use the newest genetic technologies to assist wildlife managers and researchers.<\/p>\n<div class='shortcode-column-container'><!-- shortcode-column -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-column shortcode-column--count-2\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-From-Feces-Wind-Turbine-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-590 size-landscape-image\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-From-Feces-Wind-Turbine-1-464x348.jpg\" alt=\"Image of turbines at a wind farm.\" width=\"464\" height=\"348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-From-Feces-Wind-Turbine-1-464x348.jpg 464w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-From-Feces-Wind-Turbine-1-232x174.jpg 232w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 464px) 100vw, 464px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\">Get Wind of This<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">If you are a wind energy company, we can identify bat mortalities to the species level even from degraded tissue for accurate information in your reports.<\/p>\n<p>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-column -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-column shortcode-column--count-2\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-From-Feces-Bridge.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-575\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-From-Feces-Bridge-464x348.jpg\" alt=\"Image of a bridge frequented as a roosting site for bats.\" width=\"464\" height=\"348\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"services-box col nomargin parallax-element\">\n<div class=\"services-content\">\n<div class=\"sc-wraper\" style=\"text-align: center\">\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\">Bridging the Gap<\/h3>\n<p>If you are a Department of Transportation, we can tell you whether federally-listed bat species use bridges that are scheduled for repair or replacement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"services-box col parallax-element\" style=\"text-align: center\"><\/div>\n<p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class='shortcode-column-container'><!-- shortcode-column -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-column shortcode-column--count-2\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-From-Feces-Pronghorn.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-576 size-landscape-image\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-From-Feces-Pronghorn-464x348.jpg\" alt=\"Image of pronghorn laying in grasses.\" width=\"464\" height=\"348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-From-Feces-Pronghorn-464x348.jpg 464w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-From-Feces-Pronghorn-232x174.jpg 232w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 464px) 100vw, 464px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\">Go Global<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">If you are a wildlife management department, conservation organization, or university researcher, we can identify diets of herbivores, insectivores, carnivores, and sanguivores (i.e., anything that poops!).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-column -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-column shortcode-column--count-2\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-From-Feces-Bat.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-577 size-landscape-image\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-From-Feces-Bat-464x348.jpg\" alt=\"Image of bat flying.\" width=\"464\" height=\"348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-From-Feces-Bat-464x348.jpg 464w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-From-Feces-Bat-232x174.jpg 232w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 464px) 100vw, 464px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\">Be Batty<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">If you are a wildlife management department, conservation organization, or university researcher, we can identify bat assemblages at roost sites.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- shortcode-button -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-button shortcode-button--center\">\n      <a class=\"main-button\" href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/bat-ecology-genetics\/contact\/\">Email us to Get Started<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n\n<hr \/>\n<h5 class=\"cs-small-title cs-element cs-animate\" style=\"text-align: center\">S p e c i e s\u00a0 f r o m\u00a0 F e c e s<\/h5>\n<h2 class=\"cs-title cs-element cs-animate\" style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #09096b\">Genetic ID Services<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"cs-element cs-animate\" style=\"text-align: center\">Species from Feces offers a wide range of species identification services to further wildlife research, management, and conservation globally. We develop environmental DNA assays and deploy DNA metabarcoding and qPCR to answer diverse questions.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center\"><em>We work with any taxon<\/em><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">While the bulk of our research genetically identifies bats, we can identify any species and its diet. From bridge maintenance to wind energy to important roosts, we have helped wildlife managers and researchers get the data they need to make ecologically sound decisions for their projects.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Click below to find out more information about our genetic ID services.<\/p>\n<!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <a class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"Bat Species from Feces_0\" href=\"#\">\n      <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n          <h4>Bat Species from Feces <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Accordion Closed<\/span><\/h4>\n          <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\"><\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/a>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\">\n        <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body>\n<p>We developed a robust genetic assay to identify bat species from&nbsp;their feces (Walker et al.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0162342\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2016<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0224969\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2019<\/a>), which has been applied globally for a suite of applications for bat conservation and management. We use a collection of&nbsp;guano to identify bat community composition within roosts such as&nbsp;<strong>bridges, caves, mines, and buildings.<\/strong>&nbsp;Please see our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www5.nau.edu\/cefns\/forestry\/research\/bats\/public\/index\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">searchable database<\/a>&nbsp;to determine&nbsp;the utility of the assay for your species of interest.<\/p>\n<h6><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/Dan.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-604\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/Dan-464x337.jpg\" alt=\"Image of Dan Sanchez, PhD, operating a centrifuge.\" width=\"215\" height=\"156\"><\/a><b><\/b><\/h6>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><span style=\"color: #333333\"><strong>Bat carcass ID for wind farms- <\/strong>We commonly identify bat species from tissue harvested from carcasses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <a class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"Diet Species from Feces_0\" href=\"#\">\n      <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n          <h4>Diet Species from Feces <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Accordion Closed<\/span><\/h4>\n          <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\"><\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/a>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\">\n        <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body>\n<p>We genetically identify diet of <strong>any <\/strong>species. Projects to date have included herbivores, carnivores, insectivores, and sanguivores. We regularly identify diet items to the genus or species level. Our ability to identify taxa to finer levels depends on the match between the DNA in the feces and the barcode data available. If needed, we can generate DNA barcodes for potential diet items as part of the project.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <a class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"Pathogen Species from Feces_0\" href=\"#\">\n      <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n          <h4>Pathogen Species from Feces <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Accordion Closed<\/span><\/h4>\n          <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\"><\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/a>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\">\n        <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body>\n<p>We identify a variety of <strong>bacterial<\/strong>, <strong>fungal<\/strong> and <strong>viral<\/strong> <strong>pathogens<\/strong> from feces.<\/p>\n<p>Examples include rabies virus and&nbsp;<i>Pd<\/i>&nbsp;(white-nose syndrome).<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <a class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"Species detection via environmental DNA_0\" href=\"#\">\n      <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n          <h4>Species detection via environmental DNA <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Accordion Closed<\/span><\/h4>\n          <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\"><\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/a>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\">\n        <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body>\n<p>We develop and perform DNA metabarcoding and qPCR assays to detect bats and other taxa from air, vegetation, soil, and water sources.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/batt.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-605\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/batt-464x348.png\" alt=\"Close-up image of bat flying.\" width=\"207\" height=\"155\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/batt-464x348.png 464w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/batt-232x174.png 232w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 207px) 100vw, 207px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/giraffe.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-606\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/giraffe.jpg\" alt=\"Close-up of a giraffe's face being groomed by oxpeckers.\" width=\"154\" height=\"154\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/giraffe.jpg 300w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/giraffe-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 154px) 100vw, 154px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/deer.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-607\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/deer.jpg\" alt=\"Image of buck walking through wooded area.\" width=\"155\" height=\"155\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/deer.jpg 300w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/deer-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 155px) 100vw, 155px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600w-250x250-Slide-Assets-Bat-Contest-2-569x600-1.png\"><!-- shortcode-image-caption -->\n<span class=\"shortcode-image-caption shortcode-image-caption--center\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600w-250x250-Slide-Assets-Bat-Contest-2-569x600-1.png\">    <span class=\"shortcode-image-caption__container\">\n                <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-583 size-landscape-image\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600w-250x250-Slide-Assets-Bat-Contest-2-569x600-1-464x348.png\" alt=\"Image of sideview of a bat flying.\" width=\"464\" height=\"348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600w-250x250-Slide-Assets-Bat-Contest-2-569x600-1-464x348.png 464w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600w-250x250-Slide-Assets-Bat-Contest-2-569x600-1-232x174.png 232w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 464px) 100vw, 464px\" \/>\n    <\/span>\n    <\/a><\/span>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 class=\"cs-title cs-element cs-animate\" style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #09096b\">Genetics is the answer<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"cs-element cs-animate\" style=\"text-align: center\">Whatever your needs, contact our team to see if we can use the latest genetic technology to get answers for your wildlife project.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600w-250x250-Slide-Assets-Species-from-Feces-Logo-569x600-1.png\"><!-- shortcode-image-caption -->\n<span class=\"shortcode-image-caption shortcode-image-caption--center\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600w-250x250-Slide-Assets-Species-from-Feces-Logo-569x600-1.png\">    <span class=\"shortcode-image-caption__container\">\n                <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-584\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600w-250x250-Slide-Assets-Species-from-Feces-Logo-569x600-1-300x300.png\" alt=\"Species from Feces logo- test tube filled with DNA with eDNA sources (animals, insects, and plants) surrounding it.\" width=\"500\" height=\"415\">\n    <\/span>\n    <\/a><\/span>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 class=\"section-title\" style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #09096b\">Walker Lab Testing<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"sub-title\" style=\"text-align: center\">Species From Feces provides taxonomy from trace DNA to managing wildlife responsibly.<\/p>\n<div id=\"section-2\" class=\"services-wrapper services-default cols-wrapper cols-3 pexeto-parallax\">\n<div class=\"services-box col parallax-element\" style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p><div class='shortcode-column-container'><!-- shortcode-column -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-column shortcode-column--count-3\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-from-Feces-03.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-585 size-landscape-image\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-from-Feces-03-464x348.jpg\" alt=\"Image of a bar plot with the percentages of sequencing reads for bat species found under bridges.\" width=\"464\" height=\"348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-from-Feces-03-464x348.jpg 464w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-from-Feces-03-232x174.jpg 232w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 464px) 100vw, 464px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"services-box col parallax-element\">\n<div class=\"services-content\">\n<div class=\"sc-wraper\">\n<h3>Analyze<\/h3>\n<p>We give you a final report summarizing the taxa detected, and include figures, a spreadsheet, and raw data.<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- shortcode-column -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-column shortcode-column--count-3\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-from-Feces-02.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-586 size-landscape-image\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-from-Feces-02-464x348.jpg\" alt=\"Digital art of DNA double helix.\" width=\"464\" height=\"348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-from-Feces-02-464x348.jpg 464w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-from-Feces-02-232x174.jpg 232w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 464px) 100vw, 464px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"services-box col parallax-element\">\n<div class=\"services-content\">\n<div class=\"sc-wraper\">\n<h3>Sequence<\/h3>\n<p>Our researchers are trained to sequence from complex samples and trace DNA, using leading genetic technologies.<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- shortcode-column -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-column shortcode-column--count-3\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-from-Feces-01.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-587 size-landscape-image\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-from-Feces-01-464x348.jpg\" alt=\"Image of a handful of15 mL conicals of guano.\" width=\"464\" height=\"348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-from-Feces-01-464x348.jpg 464w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600x400-Service-Box-Species-from-Feces-01-232x174.jpg 232w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 464px) 100vw, 464px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Train<\/h3>\n<p>We provide consultation, a sampling kit, and the information you need to maximize and preserve DNA.\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h5 class=\"cs-small-title cs-element cs-animate\" style=\"text-align: center\">Principal Investigator Walker Lab<\/h5>\n<h2 class=\"cs-title cs-element cs-animate\" style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #09096b\">Faith Walker<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"cs-element cs-animate\" style=\"text-align: center\">Faith Walker is an Associate Research Professor in the\u00a0<span style=\"color: #3411d1\"><a style=\"color: #3411d1\" href=\"https:\/\/nau.edu\/forestry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">School of Forestry<\/a><\/span>\u00a0and an Associate Director of PMI for heading the\u00a0<span style=\"color: #3411d1\"><a style=\"color: #3411d1\" href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/pmi\/pathogen-microbiome-institute\/ancient-dna-lab\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ancient DNA Core<\/a><\/span>. Her lab uses trace DNA to study wildlife ecology and disease.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600w-250x250-Slide-Assets-Faith-Walker-569x600-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-588 size-landscape-image\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600w-250x250-Slide-Assets-Faith-Walker-569x600-1-464x348.png\" alt=\"Image of headshot of Faith Walker, PhD.\" width=\"464\" height=\"348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600w-250x250-Slide-Assets-Faith-Walker-569x600-1-464x348.png 464w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/09\/600w-250x250-Slide-Assets-Faith-Walker-569x600-1-232x174.png 232w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 464px) 100vw, 464px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- shortcode-block -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-block\">\n      <div class=\"block-header\">\n        <h3>Client Quotes<\/h3>\n    <\/div>\n          <div class=\"block-body\">\n      <div><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We are working to protect bats in Rwanda and the Species from Feces program allowed us to better understand the ecosystem services bats provide through pest control and seed dispersal. This not only helps us gather important knowledge on bat species in Rwanda, but is also a powerful tool to shape our community education and awareness-raising programs to help people see that bats have a positive contribution to our society.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><em> -Olivier Nsengimana, Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;Northern Arizona University\u2019s helpful genetic lab staff are wonderful to work with, providing guidance and tips on how to successfully collect samples. The test results are clearly summarized in graphs and in text format, making them easy to read and share with regulating agencies and the public.&#8221; <\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2013Anonymous Consultant<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThese are great results, and certainly give us information about prioritizing spring WNS surveillance efforts, show more species diversity than expected at most sites, and show MYLU presence at more sites than expected!&#8221; <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2013Biologist, NPS<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Our team has relied on the use of NAU&#8217;s DNA testing for dozens of unknown bats found during monitoring studies throughout the Midwest. NAU has reliably delivered identifications, even for bone and tissue samples that are discovered in the field after months of decay in humid conditions.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &#8211;<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Anonymous Consultant<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThis is phenomenal, I can\u2019t tell you how excited I am to get these results!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">-Mauro Hernandez, NPS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/bat-ecology-genetics\/clients\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n          <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n<h4><\/h4>\n\n\n<!-- shortcode-tab -->\n<div class='shortcode-tab-container tab-count-3'>\n    <ul class='tabs'>\n                <li class=\"tab\">\n            <a class=\"shortcode-tab__trigger\" href=\"#\" data-header=\"Our Mission_1\">\n                <div class=\"shortcode-tab-header selected\">\n                    <h4>\n                        Our Mission <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Tab Open<\/span>\n                    <\/h4>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/li>\n                <li class=\"tab\">\n            <a class=\"shortcode-tab__trigger\" href=\"#\" data-header=\"Our Database_2\">\n                <div class=\"shortcode-tab-header \">\n                    <h4>\n                        Our Database <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Tab Closed<\/span>\n                    <\/h4>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/li>\n                <li class=\"tab\">\n            <a class=\"shortcode-tab__trigger\" href=\"#\" data-header=\"Who We Are_3\">\n                <div class=\"shortcode-tab-header \">\n                    <h4>\n                        Who We Are <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Tab Closed<\/span>\n                    <\/h4>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/li>\n            <\/ul>\n        <!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion \" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <a class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"Our Mission_1\" href=\"#\">\n      <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n          <h4>Our Mission <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Accordion Open<\/span><\/h4>\n          <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\"><\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/a>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\">\n        <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Our mission is to further wildlife research, management, and conservation globally by offering species identification services. <\/span>As part of that mission, we&nbsp;leverage genetic approaches for global bat species conservation.<\/p>\n<p>Bats are the second most diverse and abundant mammalian order, but probably the least understood due to their cryptic biology. Because bats fly, most are small-bodied and nocturnal, and many travel great distances nightly or annually, they have until recently been difficult to study.&nbsp; New genetic tools are key to unraveling the secrets of bats and thereby assisting conservation efforts. Our <a title=\"Species from Feces Initiative\" href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/bat-ecology-genetics\/our-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\">Species from Feces Initiative<\/a> reliably identifies bat species from around the world from guano, and has generated considerable interest from federal and state agencies, mining and wind companies, and internationally-focused NGOs. Our success with bats led us to take all vertebrate taxa under our wing for species and diet identification from feces.<\/p>\n\n\n    <\/body><\/html>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n        <!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <a class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"Our Database_2\" href=\"#\">\n      <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n          <h4>Our Database <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Accordion Closed<\/span><\/h4>\n          <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\"><\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/a>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\">\n        <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body>\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<a title=\"searchable database \" href=\"https:\/\/www5.nau.edu\/CEFNS\/Forestry\/Research\/Bats\/public\/index\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\">searchable database<\/a> on our website allows users to determine the power of our assay for identifying bat species that interest them. The Species from Feces tool has immediate application in the U.S., where bats are under threat from White-Nose Syndrome, and is also useful globally with the ability to identify over 90% of bat species for which genetic information is available. Please see our <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0162342\">2016<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0224969\">2019<\/a> papers.<\/p>\n\n\n    <\/body><\/html>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n        <!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <a class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"Who We Are_3\" href=\"#\">\n      <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n          <h4>Who We Are <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Accordion Closed<\/span><\/h4>\n          <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\"><\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/a>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\">\n        <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body>\n\n<p>We are a team of bat and wildlife ecologists, wildlife geneticists, bioinformaticians, graduate and undergraduate students, genetics research specialists, and field technicians. We develop and use emerging genetic approaches to better understand bats and other taxa. Species from Feces is a powerful tool for difficult-to-study vertebrates, in a time of great conservation need.<\/p>\n\n\n    <\/body><\/html>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n    <\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h6 style=\"text-align: center\">Photos \u00a9 Jos\u00e9 G. Mart\u00ednez-Fonseca and Faith Walker<\/h6>\n<!-- shortcode-right-column -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-right-column\" >\n    <div class=\"shortcode-right-column__container\"><!-- shortcode-block -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-block\">\n      <div class=\"block-header\">\n        <h3>Overview<\/h3>\n    <\/div>\n          <div class=\"block-body\">\n      <div><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>DNA metabarcoding<\/li>\n<li>eDNA assays<\/li>\n<li>Consultation<\/li>\n<li>Interpretation of results<\/li>\n<li>&gt;500 completed projects for agencies, consultants, universities, and NGO\u2019s<\/li>\n<li>Broad taxonomic scope<\/li>\n<li>&gt;12 SFF peer-reviewed publications<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<strong>Who we are: <\/strong>wildlife geneticists, ecologists, and bioinformaticians<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<strong>Our mission: <\/strong>to offer species identification services to further wildlife research, management, and conservation globally<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n          <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-right-column -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-right-column\" >\n    <div class=\"shortcode-right-column__container\"><!-- shortcode-block -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-block\">\n      <div class=\"block-header\">\n        <h3>Questions?<\/h3>\n    <\/div>\n          <div class=\"block-body\">\n      <div><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Please see our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/bat-ecology-genetics\/frequently-asked-questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">FAQ page <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">for more information and downloadables.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For further questions and quotes, contact <a href=\"mailto:Faith.Walker@nau.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dr. Faith Walker<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n          <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><!-- shortcode-right-column -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-right-column\" >\n    <div class=\"shortcode-right-column__container\"><!-- shortcode-block -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-block\">\n      <div class=\"block-header\">\n        <h3>Find our Social Media<\/h3>\n    <\/div>\n          <div class=\"block-body\">\n      <div><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/linktr.ee\/speciesfromfeces\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Our Linktree!<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<h5><a href=\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/speciesfromfeces\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment noopener wp-att-540\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-540\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/New-Instagram-logo-1-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/New-Instagram-logo-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/New-Instagram-logo-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/New-Instagram-logo-1-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/New-Instagram-logo-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/New-Instagram-logo-1-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/New-Instagram-logo-1.jpg 1100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px\" \/><\/a><\/h5>\n<h5><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Species-from-Feces-113337284335687\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment noopener wp-att-547\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-547\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/fb-1-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/fb-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/fb-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/fb-1.jpg 358w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px\" \/><\/a><\/h5>\n<h5><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/species-from-feces\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment noopener wp-att-549\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-552\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/th-5-1-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/th-5-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/th-5-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/th-5-1.jpg 347w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px\" \/><\/a><\/h5>\n<h5><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SpeciesFecesCo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment noopener wp-att-550\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-551\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/th-4-1-164x116.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><\/h5>\n<h5><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCQLBoDSmqNDMY0YhhMI0FTw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment noopener wp-att-548\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-548\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/th-3-1-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/th-3-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/th-3-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2025\/05\/th-3-1.jpg 312w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px\" \/><\/a><\/h5>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><\/div>\n          <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<!-- shortcode-right-column -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-right-column\" >\n    <div class=\"shortcode-right-column__container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-block -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-block\">\n      <div class=\"block-header\">\n        <h3>Photos of our Team at Work<\/h3>\n    <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/begl_nau\/albums\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2018\/08\/flickr-ek.png\" alt=\"Photos of our Team at Work\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Who we serve We use the newest genetic technologies to assist wildlife managers and researchers. S p e c i e s\u00a0 f r o m\u00a0 F e c e s Genetic ID Services Species from Feces offers a wide range of species identification services to further wildlife research, management, and conservation globally. We [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":581,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","ring_central_script_selection":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-250","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/bat-ecology-genetics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/bat-ecology-genetics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/bat-ecology-genetics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/bat-ecology-genetics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/581"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/bat-ecology-genetics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250"}],"version-history":[{"count":43,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/bat-ecology-genetics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":657,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/bat-ecology-genetics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/250\/revisions\/657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/bat-ecology-genetics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}