Table 1 All mammal species detected using eDNA metabarcoding or identified as likely to be present based on other sourcesa at Rutgers Ecological Preserve and Morristown National Historic Park in New Jersey, USA.

From: Sampling environmental DNA from trees and soil to detect cryptic arboreal mammals

Clade

Species

Arborealb

Rutgers Ecological Preserve

Morristown National Historic Park

Previously documented

(references)a

Detected with metabarcoding

(% of samples)c

Previously documented

(references)a

Detected with metabarcoding

(% of samples)c

Bats (Chiroptera)d

Eptesicus fuscus

(Big brown bat)

Yes

Yes (A, B)

Yes (R: 7%)

Yes (A, B)

Yes (R: 3%)

Lasiurus borealis (E. red bat)

Yes

Yes (A, B)

No

Yes (A, B)

No

Myotis septentrionalis

(N. long-eared bat)

Yes

Yes (A, B)

No

Yes (A)

No

Myotis leibii

(E. small-footed bat)

No

No

No

Yes (B)

Yes (R: 3%, S: 5%)

Lasionycteris noctivagans

(Silver-haired bat)

Yes

Yes (A, B)

No

Yes (B)

No

Lasiurus cinereus (Hoary bat)

Yes

No

No

Yes (B)

No

Rodents (Rodentia)d

Sciurus carolinensis (E. gray squirrel)

Yes

Yes (C, D)

Yes

(R: 78%, S: 44%)

Yes (A, C, E)

Yes

(R: 52%, S: 43%)

Glaucomys volans (S. flying squirrel)

Yes

Yes (A, B)

Yes (R: 52%, S: 19%)

Yes (B)

Yes (R: 47%, S: 26%)

Tamiasciurus hudsonicus (American red squirrel)

Yes

No

No

Yes (A, C, E)

Yes (R: 6%)

Tamias striatus (E. chipmunk)

Yes

Yes (C)

Yes (R: 56%, S: 38%)

Yes (C, E)

Yes (R: 25%, S: 16%)

Marmota monax (Groundhog)

No

Yes (A, C)

No

Yes (C, E)

No

Microtus sp. (Vole sp.)

No

No

Yes (S: 6%)

No

No

Peromyscus leucopus (White-footed mouse)

Yes

Yes (D)

Yes (R: 19%)

Yes (E)

Yes (R: 13%)

Rattus norvegicus (Brown rat)

No

No

Yes (R: 4%)

No

No

Rabbits (Lagomorpha)

Sylvilagus floridanus (E. cottontail)

No

Yes (A, C)

Yes (R: 4%)

Yes (A, C, E)

No

Insectivores (Eulipotyphla)

Blarina brevicauda (N. short-tailed shrew)

No

Yes (C)

No

Yes (C, E)

No

Scalopus aquaticus (E. mole)

No

Yes (C)

No

Yes (C)

No

Carnivores (Carnivora)d

Procyon lotor (Raccoon)

Yes

Yes (C, D)

Yes (R: 41%)

Yes (A, E)

Yes (R: 9%, S: 16%)

Mephitis mephitis (Striped skunk)

No

Yes (D)

No

Yes (A, E)

No

Vulpes vulpes (Red fox)

No

Yes (C, D)

Yes (R: 15%)

Yes (A)

Yes (R: 3%)

Canis latrans (Coyote)

No

Yes (D)

No

Yes (A, E)

No

Canis lupus familiaris (Domestic dog)

No

No

Yes (R: 19%)

No

Yes (R: 28%)

Felis catus (Domestic cat)

No

Yes (C, D)

Yes (R: 4%)

No

Yes (R: 3%)

Opossum (Didelphimorphia)

Didelphis virginiana (Virginia opossum)

Yes

Yes (D)

Yes (R: 4%)

Yes (E)

Yes (R: 6%, S: 5%)

Deer (Artiodactyla)

Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed deer)

No

Yes (A, C, D)

Yes (R: 52%, S: 19%)

Yes (A, C, E)

Yes (R: 28%, S: 11%)

  1. aReferences for “Previously documented” status: A—Websites for Rutgers Ecological Preserve (https://ecopreserve.rutgers.edu/; accessed 6/10/2022) and Morristown National Historic Park (https://www.nps.gov/morr/learn/nature/mammals.htm; accessed 6/10/2022); B—our own field observations during a 2-year field study; C—iNaturalist ‘research grade’ observations36; D—a 2019 camera trapping study at Rutgers Ecological Preserve35; E—National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program mammal checklist for Morristown National Historic Park (https://irma.nps.gov/NPSpecies/Search/SpeciesList/MORR; accessed 6/10/2022).
  2. bDefined as climbing or resting in trees as part of normal, daily foraging or roosting activities.
  3. cR—detected in roller samples (Rutgers Ecological Preserve: n = 27 samples at 9 trees; Morristown National Historic Park: n = 32 samples at 12 trees); S—detected in soil samples (Rutgers Ecological Preserve: n = 16 samples at 6 trees; Morristown National Historic Park: n = 19 samples at 8 trees).
  4. dThree additional species were identified as occurring at the sites but are omitted from this list because they were either filtered out of our metabarcoding results for contamination reasons (house mouse, Mus musculus [Rodentia]; little brown bat; Myotis lucifugus [Chiroptera]) or because the primer set is ineffective for related species (American black bear, Ursus americanus [Carnivora]).
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