Local-Scale Difference of Coyote Food Habits on Two South Carolina Islands
| Autor: | Cady Etheredge, Greg K. Yarrow, Lindi L. Lagman, Jamie Dozier, Olivia Souther, Sloane E. Wiggers |
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| Rok vydání: | 2015 |
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| Zdroj: | Southeastern Naturalist. 14:281-292 |
| ISSN: | 1938-5412 1528-7092 |
| DOI: | 10.1656/058.014.0209 |
| Popis: | Canis latrans (Coyote) is regarded as a classic generalist predator that has recently established large populations throughout the southeastern US. To better understand how Coyote food habits in the Southeast may differ on an extremely small spatial scale, we collected a total of 305 Coyote scats from 2009 to 2011 on 2 islands separated by a 1.4–2.5-km-wide expanse of low saltwater-marsh on the coast of Georgetown, SC. We identified diagnostic remains of prey items to the lowest possible taxonomic level. A multi-response permutation procedure revealed differences in Coyote diet composition between islands (A = 0.0090, P < 0.0001). Subsequent indicator-species analysis revealed a total of 4 food items that served to differentiate diet between islands: birds. Sus scrofa (Wild Hog), Ilex sp. (holly) fruit, and lagomorphs. Our results demonstrate that Coyote food habits and their potential ecosystem effects may vary widely on a very local scale. This finding may be of particular concern to biologists... |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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