Journal ArticleDOI
A comparison and critique of different scat‐analysis methods for determining carnivore diet
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It is concluded that the choice of method can have a significant impact on the results of dietary analysis, and can lead to very different conclusions about a species' ecology.Abstract:
For terrestrial carnivores, scat analysis is the technique most often used to deter- mine diets. Various methods of interpreting scat-analysis data exist; however, little is known about how the choice of method affects the results. 2. We reviewed 50 scat-analysis papers to assess the range of methods currently used. Furthermore, we used a large data set from cape fox Vulpes chama and black-backed jackal Canis mesomelas scats to compare 11 scat-analysis methods. Techniques tested included five biomass calculation methods, four frequency of occurrence methods, one method that estimated volume in scats, and another that estimated mass of food items in scats. 3. Frequency of occurrence methods were used in 94% of reviewed papers, and in 50% of papers they were the sole methods used. However, we conclude that fre- quency of occurrence has the least ecological significance and results can be mis- leading. Although biomass calculations probably provide the best approximation to true diets, only 23% of reviewed papers used suitable biomass calculation methods when models were available for the study species. 4. Analysis of fox and jackal scats showed that there were significant differences among methods when calculating percent diet composition and niche breadth. Additionally, dietary overlap between species differed considerably among the methods (range of R0 = 0.29-0.79). We conclude that the choice of method can have a significant impact on the results of dietary analysis, and can lead to very different conclusions about a species' ecology. 5. The best approximation of the true diet can be obtained by using a biomass calculation model that was developed for the same species, or for a closely related species with a similar food spectrum. When no such model is available, either the volume or mass of diet components in the scats should be used. To document rare food items, frequency of occurrence data could also be given.read more
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Journal ArticleDOI
A continental‐scale analysis of feral cat diet in Australia
Tim S. Doherty,Robert A. Davis,Eddie J. B. van Etten,D. Algar,Neil Collier,Chris R. Dickman,Glenn A. Edwards,Pip Masters,Russell Palmer,Sue Robinson +9 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reviewed the diet of the feral cat across Australia and on Australian territorial islands, seeking to identify biogeographical patterns in dietary composition and diversity, and use the results to consider how feral cats may best be managed.
Journal ArticleDOI
Food habits of the world's grey wolves
Thomas M. Newsome,Thomas M. Newsome,Thomas M. Newsome,Luigi Boitani,Guillaume Chapron,Paolo Ciucci,Chris R. Dickman,Justin A. Dellinger,José Vicente López-Bao,Rolf O. Peterson,Carolyn R. Shores,Aaron J. Wirsing,William J. Ripple +12 more
TL;DR: No evidence is found that grey wolf dietary diversity varies globally, although the results from southern Europe suggest that grey wolves may switch their diets away from domestic species if more wild ungulates are available, and the diversity of prey consumed by grey wolves shows that the species is capable of surviving dramatic anthropogenic upheaval.
ARTICLE A continental-scale analysis of feral cat diet in Australia
Tim S. Doherty,Robert A. Davis,Eddie J. B. van Etten,Dave Algar,Neil Collier,Chris R. Dickman,Glenn P. Edwards,Sue Robinson,T. S. Doherty +8 more
TL;DR: The feral cat is an opportunistic, generalist carnivore that consumes a diverse suite of vertebrate prey across Australia, and thus cat management is likely to be necessary and most effective at the local landscape level.
Journal ArticleDOI
Biogeographical patterns in the diet of an opportunistic predator: the red fox Vulpes vulpes in the Iberian Peninsula
Francisco Díaz-Ruiz,Miguel Delibes-Mateos,José Luis García-Moreno,José María López-Martín,Catarina Ferreira,Catarina Ferreira,Pablo Ferreras +6 more
TL;DR: A latitudinal pattern was found in the diet of the red fox, which was character- ized by a greater consumption of lagomorphs and invertebrates in southern areas, and a higher intake of small mammals and fruits/seeds in northern regions.
Journal ArticleDOI
Seasonal and annual variation in the diet of brown bears Ursus arctos in the boreal forest of southcentral Sweden
Nina Emilie Stenset,Paul Antoni Nilsen Lutnæs,Valgerður Bjarnadóttir,Bjørn Dahle,Kristin Høivik Fossum,Patrick Jigsved,Thomas Johansen,Wiebke Neumann,Ole Opseth,Oddmund Rønning,Sam M. J. G. Steyaert,Andreas Zedrosser,Sven Brunberg,Jon E. Swenson +13 more
TL;DR: In this paper, a species' feeding ecology is studied for successful management and conservation, because food abundance can influence body mass, survival, reproductive success, movements, and habi...
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Measurement of "overlap" in comparative ecological studies
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