Understanding resource use and dietary niche partitioning in a high-altitude predator guild using seasonal sampling and DNA metabarcoding.

ABSTRACT: Understanding of predator feeding ecology, interactions among co-occurring predator species, and seasonal changes is critical for conservation management given the important role that predators play in shaping their ecosystems, but is lacking for most regions of the world. Dietary studies have demonstrated varying conclusions in the role that resource partitioning plays in the maintenance of predator communities due to complex inter-related factors that may shape prey use. We used DNA metabarcoding on 581 scat samples to determine the dietary composition, similarity, diversity, and niche overlap of eight predator species (Tibetan wolf (Canis lupus), snow leopard (Panthera uncia), Tibetan brown bear (Ursus arctos pruinosus), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), Tibetan fox (Vulpes ferrilata), red fox

SUBMITTER: Hacker CE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11658502 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature