Multi-marker DNA metabarcoding reveals spatial and sexual variation in the diet of a scarce woodland bird.

ABSTRACT: Avian diet can be affected by site-specific variables, such as habitat, as well as intrinsic factors such as sex. This can lead to dietary niche separation, which reduces competition between individuals, as well as impacting how well avian species can adapt to environmental variation. Estimating dietary niche separation is challenging, due largely to difficulties in accurately identifying food taxa consumed. Consequently, there is limited knowledge of the diets of woodland bird species, many of which are undergoing serious population declines. Here, we show the effectiveness of multi-marker fecal metabarcoding to provide in-depth dietary analysis of a declining passerine in the UK, the Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes). We collected fecal samples from (n = 262) UK Hawf

SUBMITTER: Stenhouse EH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10191781 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature