As DNA sequencing technology continues to rapidly improve, studies investigating the microbial communities of host organisms (i.e., microbiomes) are becoming not only more popular but also more financially accessible. Across many taxa, microbiomes can have important impacts on organismal health and fitness. To evaluate the microbial community composition of a particular microbiome, microbial DNA must be successfully extracted. Fecal samples are often easy to collect and are a good source of gut microbial DNA. Additionally, interest in the avian preen gland microbiome is rapidly growing, due to the importance of preen oil for many aspects of avian life. Microbial DNA extractions from avian fecal and preen oil samples present multiple challenges, however. Here, we describe a modified PrepMan Ultra Sample Preparation Reagent microbial DNA extraction method that is less expensive than other commonly used methodologies and is highly effective for both fecal and preen oil samples collected from a broad range of avian species. We expect our method will facilitate microbial DNA extractions from multiple avian microbiome reservoirs, which have previously proved difficult and expensive. Our method therefore increases the feasibility of future studies of avian host microbiomes.

As sequencing technology continues to rapidly improve, studies investigating the microbial communities of host organisms (i.e., microbiomes) are becoming not only more popular but also more financially accessible. Across many taxa, microbiomes can have important impacts on organismal health and fitness. To evaluate the microbial community composition of a particular microbiome, microbial DNA must be successfully extracted. Fecal samples are often easy to collect and are a good source of gut microbial DNA. However, in birds and reptiles, microbial DNA extractions from fecal matter have proven to be difficult due to high concentrations of uric acid, an inhibitor of DNA extractions. Here, we present a new microbial DNA extraction method that is highly effective for avian species and displays higher efficiency and consistency than other commonly used methodologies. Further, our method is also effective in extracting microbial DNA from oils collected from the avian preen gland. Preen oil chemicals are important for many aspects of avian life, and the biosynthesis of these chemicals is dependent on the preen gland microbial community. We expect our method will facilitate microbial DNA extractions from multiple avian microbiome reservoirs, which have previously proved difficult and expensive. Our method therefore increases the feasibility of future studies of avian host microbiomes.