Borneo Bird Sexing at the Smithsonian National Park

The purpose of this project was to inquire whether Borneo bird populations have skewed adult sex ratios. Based on prior research, Borneo bird populations have a clear female bias in offspring sex ratios which inspires the current question. DNA-based sex identification uses CHD gene location, P2 and P8 primers, and multiple PCR processes to test the DNA concentration for sex markers in the adult populations. In order to justify this bias, there was a facet of the research focusing on the ecological dynamics of the sampled bird species. Along with the ecological differences, there exists species-specific questions that must be asked to investigate whether or not there needs to be conservation efforts to preserve a healthy sex ratio. This project was completed with contributions from Nancy McInerney from the Smithsonian Institution.