Otterly delicious: Spatiotemporal variation in the diet of a recovering population of Eurasian otters ( Lutra lutra ) revealed through DNA metabarcoding and morphological analysis of prey remains.

Autor: Drake LE; School of Biosciences Cardiff University Cardiff UK., Cuff JP; School of Biosciences Cardiff University Cardiff UK.; School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle UK.; Rothamsted Insect Survey, Rothamsted Research Harpenden UK., Bedmar S; School of Biosciences Cardiff University Cardiff UK.; Department of Conservation Biology Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC) Sevilla Spain., McDonald R; Environment and Sustainability Institute University of Exeter Penryn UK., Symondson WOC; School of Biosciences Cardiff University Cardiff UK., Chadwick EA; School of Biosciences Cardiff University Cardiff UK.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Ecology and evolution [Ecol Evol] 2023 May 10; Vol. 13 (5), pp. e10038. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 May 10 (Print Publication: 2023).
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10038
Abstrakt: Eurasian otters are apex predators of freshwater ecosystems and a recovering species across much of their European range; investigating the dietary variation of this predator over time and space, therefore, provides opportunities to identify changes in freshwater trophic interactions and factors influencing the conservation of otter populations. Here we sampled feces from 300 dead otters across England and Wales between 2007 and 2016, conducting both morphological analyses of prey remains and dietary DNA metabarcoding. Comparison of these methods showed that greater taxonomic resolution and breadth could be achieved using DNA metabarcoding but combining data from both methodologies gave the most comprehensive dietary description. All otter demographics exploited a broad range of taxa and variation likely reflected changes in prey distributions and availability across the landscape. This study provides novel insights into the trophic generalism and adaptability of otters across Britain, which is likely to have aided their recent population recovery, and may increase their resilience to future environmental changes.
Competing Interests: The authors have no competing interests to declare.
(© 2023 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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