URBAN DIETS OF SAN JOAQUIN KIT FOX REVEALED BY DNA METABARCODING: DIVERSE PREY AND ANTHROPOGENIC FOOD USE SUGGEST A SHIFT IN FORAGING STRATEGY | |||
| Keegan M Finnerty; Lander University; University of California, Davis; keeganquest@gmail.com; Sophie Preckler-Quisquater, Stevi Vanderzwan, Jazmine Camacho Servin, Jaime Rudd, Erica Kelly, Brian Cypher, Ben Sacks | |||
The San Joaquin kit fox (SJKF; Vulpes macrotis mutica) is an endangered species endemic to California’s San Joaquin Valley. One of its largest remaining populations persists within the city of Bakersfield, CA, despite lacking many ideal habitat characteristics. In natural environments, SJKFs are foraging specialists, consuming invertebrates and heteromyid rodents like kangaroo rats. However, stable isotope analyses suggest urban foxes rely heavily on anthropogenic food. We hypothesized that urban SJKFs exhibit more generalist foraging strategies than non-urban counterparts, driven by (1) reduced availability of preferred natural prey and (2) increased access to diverse anthropogenic foods. To test this, we conducted DNA metabarcoding on 128 scats collected across the CSU Bakersfield campus, extracted and amplified prey DNA, and identified dietary items using high-throughput sequencing and BLAST. Anthropogenic food items occurred in 83% of scats, making this a substantial component of the urban SJKF diet. The absence of a single, dominant prey item suggested a more generalist foraging strategy. Anthropogenic items frequently co-occurred together, while natural prey (e.g., rodents) showed opposing patterns to each other, suggesting SJKF alternate between natural and anthropogenic resources across meals. Ongoing metabarcoding of a non-urban population will allow direct comparisons of diet between urban and natural habitats. | |||
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