Differences in Dietary Composition and Interspecific Competition Among Large Carnivores on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

ABSTRACT: Understanding and quantifying the dietary composition of large carnivores is crucial for elucidating their functional roles within ecosystems including their top-down regulation of prey populations and their interactions with sympatric carnivore species. In this study, we employed DNA metabarcoding to analyze the vertebrate components of the diets of three sympatric large carnivores, snow leopard Panthera uncia, wolf Canis lupus, and brown bear Ursus arctos, with particular emphasis on assessing potential interspecific competition in the Sanjiangyuan Region (SR) of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. Analysis revealed 11, 16, and 17 prey species in the diets of wolves, snow leopards, and brown bears, respectively. Domestic yak (Bos grunniens) was the most frequently det

SUBMITTER: Wang D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12862234 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature