DNA metabarcoding provides insights into seasonal diet variations in Chinese mole shrew (

Autor: Ke-Yi, Tang, Fei, Xie, Hong-Yi, Liu, Ying-Ting, Pu, Dan, Chen, Bo-Xin, Qin, Chang-Kun, Fu, Qiong, Wang, Shun-de, Chen, Ke-Ji, Guo
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: Ecology and Evolution
ISSN: 2045-7758
Popis: Diet analysis of potential small mammals pest species is important for understanding feeding ecology and evaluating their impact on crops and stored foods. Chinese mole shrew (Anourosorex squamipes), distributed in Southwest China, has previously been reported as a farmland pest. Effective population management of this species requires a better understanding of its diet, which can be difficult to determine with high taxonomic resolution using conventional microhistological methods. In this study, we used two DNA metabarcoding assays to identify 38 animal species and 65 plant genera from shrew stomach contents, which suggest that A. squamipes is an omnivorous generalist. Earthworms are the most prevalent (>90%) and abundant (>80%) food items in the diverse diet of A. squamipes. Species of the Fabaceae (frequency of occurrence [FO]: 88%; such as peanuts) and Poaceae (FO: 71%; such as rice) families were the most common plant foods identified in the diet of A. squamipes. Additionally, we found a seasonal decrease in the diversity and abundance of invertebrate foods from spring and summer to winter. Chinese mole shrew has a diverse and flexible diet throughout the year to adapt to seasonal variations in food availability, contributing to its survival even when food resources are limited. This study provides a higher resolution identification of the diet of A. squamipes than has been previously described and is valuable for understanding shrew feeding ecology as well as evaluating possible species impacts on crops.
Little is known about the invertebrate prey species and plants (especially crops at the species level) consumed by A. squamipes, which prevents understanding of their feeding ecology and thus impedes effective pest control. The Chinese mole shrew tends to be a generalized predator of a diverse array of invertebrates (e.g., earthworm) and plants (e.g., crops). Based on molecular techniques, diverse plant materials at the species level were identified with frequent observation of several important crops (e.g., rice and peanuts), indicating that A. squamipes could cause serious damage to crops or stored grains. Characterizing the diet of A. squamipes may have implications for the evaluating crop impacts and control of this shrew pest.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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