I am writing this today as I prepare to send out the emails to the participants who asked for data returned. I feel it is my responsibility to give something in return for your participation in this project. The data I have returned is hosted on my Google Drive in a folder that corresponds to the anonymous ID I assigned you when you entered the project (1-39). Within that folder there is no identifying information about you or where you are located, and the only people that can access that folder is me, and anyone else with the link - so don't share the link! In the email I have included a document on how to download your data and a key to what all of the different datasheets mean. Most importantly, I have updated this website with factsheets about some of the types of data I have returned to you, so that you can better interpret what I have returned. These fact sheets are accessable from the navigation bar above, or the button below. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions about your data, or you think you should have got some data in return but did not recieve it. Please contact other aviculturists that may have participated in the project about the return of the data. Not all participants provided me with an email address and I am now in the United States so phone call and mail are not feasable options for contacting these participants! Happy data!
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July 7-9 2017 the Queensland Finch Society hosted the 6th International Finch Convention. It was held on the lovely grounds of the University of Queensland campus. I (Peri) was lucky enough to be an invited speaker at this convention, to share the results so far of the Feathers for Science project. Finches '17 was a refreshing change from the usual scientifc conferences I attend, as it was a mixture of scientists and aviculturists with different levels of experience. It had speakers such as myself, including aviculturists from around the world. Like most conferences I have attended it had talks, a fancy dinner, and a trade stalls (selling bird supplies rather than journal publishers). This convention also ran a day of aviary visits, where we got to see the different ways people in the Brisbane area keep their birds (and not just finches). Among the highlights for me was the opportunity to interact with representatives from the Red Siskin Initiative, based out of the Smithsonian. Like Feathers For Science, this project interacts heavily with aviculturists of the Endangered Red Siskin. Their goal is to use this knowledge to develop a captive breeding program of Red Siskins and re-introduce them into the wild in Venezuela and Guyana. Thank you to everyone who has participated in this project. We have collected a total of 323 feathers samples from 38 different breeders, and we have good representation from most of the states. Unfortunately, we were unable to get any feathers from Tasmania or Northern Territory. The map below shows where the feathers have come from, where before the "/" indicates number of birds sampled, and after the "/" indicates the number of breeders that provided the samples. We are happy with what we have covered, and this will give us a good indication as to genetic diversity across Australia in captive Gouldian finches. In the lab...The next step in the project is to extract the DNA from these feathers. For each individual the calamus of the feather is cut off (the pointy bit that goes in the skin). Then the calamus is put into a special solution that breaks apart the cells and degrades the proteins to free the DNA. Then, proteins, lipids and other chemicals are removed from the solution. At the end of this process we are left with just the DNA of each individual in a tube. This is a more complicated version of the DNA extraction method that can be done at home (click here). After the process of DNA extraction is complete we then identify the genetic sequence of each individual.
This is done by choosing particular regions of the genome, and amplifying them using a process known as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). This utilises natural DNA replication machinery to amplify a particular region of the genome exponentially. Many many copies of a particular region allows us to better identify what that sequence is. When we know the sequences of all the individuals we can compare them, between individuals, breeders and regions which will inform our understanding of genetic diversity in the domesticated Gouldian finch Thank you to everyone who has send me feathers so far! 30 breeders from all states except Tasmania have contributed some feathers toward this cause.
If you were still interested in participating please send me feathers soon! I want to have received all feathers by the END OF OCTOBER this year! University financial deadlines are coming up in early November, so I need to know how many samples to plan for! Thank you to everyone who has contributed feathers so far. We are hoping to start winding down the feather collection so that Peri can get into the laboratory and start generating some genetic data.
We have got great participation so far from finch keepers in: Sydney Hunter and Newcastle Region Perth South Australia We have got positive feedback from meetings in Canberra and Brisbane, and hope to get more feathers from them shortly, and we are negotiating with Darwin finch club the best way to get feathers exported legally. Sadly, we have not been quite able to achieve representation from across Australia, as we are severely lacking participants in Tasmania and Victoria. We are interested in looking at patterns of genetic diversity across Australia and therefore we would ideally like to have samples from every State. From a scientific perspective it is also interesting to question where population boundaries lie with respect to the captive birds. For example, How different are Tasmania and Perth from each other genetically, and how different are they from cities on the East Coast. Further, how different are Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane from each other? I have a current export permit that will allow participants to export feathers from Tasmania to the mainland, and there are no restrictions about sending feathers from Victoria. So, if anyone knows anyone in Victoria or Tasmania please let them know about this project! Like political candidates across the world, this June Peri has been on the campaign trail visiting local finch and avicultural clubs to attract participants for the Feathers for Science study.
So far, Peri has gratefully been able to attend meetings for the following clubs: Hawkesbury Finch Club Canberra Finch Club Finch Society of Australia Avicultural Society of NSW Hunter Valley Finch Club Next stop: Brisbane for the Queensland Finch Society meeting! Thank you! |
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