The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is an integral system to humans and animals, but it does more beyond breaking food down, absorption, and waste excretion. The GI tract is inhabited with microbes with significant relationships to the host. The gut microbiome plays an integral role in pathologies, immunity, nutrition, metabolism, and has been connected with brain function. Another member of this region is the gut virome - consisting of bacteriophages, host viruses, and transient viruses - which plays a role that is not yet well defined. Host DNA is also shed in the GI tract and can be used as biomarkers for some host diseases. Invasive methods can provide an accurate description of the gut environment; however, these methods are not sustainable. Luckily, a snapshot of the gut activity can be obtained via a non-invasive sample type. Feces collected from the host is widely accepted and studied as a proxy for the gut. In this webinar, we will discuss different fecal collection and storage methods and delve into the information available from feces. The webinar will also explore the wide range of applications for this sample.