FEEDING HABITS OF ENDANGERED PYGMY RACCOONS (PROCYON PYGMAEUS) BASED ON STABLE ISOTOPE AND FECAL ANALYSES

A methodological roadmap to quantify animal-vectored spatial ecosystem subsidies

Energy, nutrients and organisms move over landscapes, connecting ecosystems across space and time. Meta-ecosystem theory investigates the emerging properties of local ecosystems coupled spatially by these movements of organisms and matter, by explicitly tracking exchanges of multiple substances across ecosystem borders. To date, meta-ecosystem research has focused mostly on abiotic flows-neglecting biotic nutrient flows. However, recent work has indicated animals act as spatial nutrient vectors when they transport nutrients across landscapes in the form of excreta, egesta and their own bodies. Partly due to its high level of abstraction, there are few empirical tests of meta-ecosystem theory. Furthermore, while animals may be viewed as important mediators of ecosystem functions, better integration of tools is needed to develop predictive insights of their relative roles and impacts on diverse ecosystems. We present a methodological roadmap that explains how to do such integration by discussing how to combine insights from movement, foraging and ecosystem ecology to develop a coherent understanding of animal-vectored nutrient transport on meta-ecosystems processes. We discuss how the slate of newly developed technologies and methods-tracking devices, mechanistic movement models, diet reconstruction techniques and remote sensing-that when integrated have the potential to advance the quantification of animal-vectored nutrient flows and increase the predictive power of meta-ecosystem theory. We demonstrate that by integrating novel and established tools of animal ecology, ecosystem ecology and remote sensing, we can begin to identify and quantify animal-mediated nutrient translocation by large animals. We also provide conceptual examples that show how our proposed integration of methodologies can help investigate ecosystem impacts of large animal movement. We conclude by describing practical advancements to understanding cross-ecosystem contributions of animals on the move. Understanding the mechanisms by which animals shape ecosystem dynamics is important for ongoing conservation, rewilding and restoration initiatives around the world, and for developing more accurate models of ecosystem nutrient budgets. Our roadmap will enable ecologists to better qualify and quantify animal-mediated nutrient translocation for animals on the move.

Static allometry of a small-bodied omnivore: body size and limb scaling of an island fox and inferences for Homo floresiensis

Island dwarfing is a paraphyletic adaptation across numerous mammalian genera. From mammoths to foxes, extreme body size reduction is shared by diverse organisms that migrate to an island environment. Because it largely occurs owing to ecological variables, not phylogenetic ones, skeletal characters in a dwarfed taxon compared with its ancestor may appear abnormal. As a result, allometric patterns between body size and morphological traits may differ for an island dwarf compared with its ancestor. The diminutive Late Pleistocene hominin, Homo floresiensis, displays a unique character suite that is outside of the normal range of variation for any extinct or extant hominin species. To better explain these as ecological traits due to island dwarfing, this research looks at how dwarfing on islands influences limb scaling and proportions in an organism in a similar ecological niche as H. floresiensis. Here, I analyze absolute limb lengths and static allometry of limb lengths regressed on predicted body mass of dwarfed island foxes and their nondwarfed relatives. Dwarfed island foxes have significantly smaller intercepts but steeper slopes of all limb elements regressed on predicted body mass than the mainland gray fox. These allometric alterations produce limbs in the island fox that are significantly shorter than predicted for a nondwarfed gray fox of similar body mass. In addition, the humerofemoral, intermembral, and brachial indices are significantly different. These results provide a novel model for understanding skeletal variation of island endemic forms. Unique body size and proportions of H. floresiensis are plausible as ecological adaptations and likely not examples of symplesiomorphies with Australopithecus sp. Caution should be exerted when comparing an island dwarf with a closely related species as deviations from allometric expectations may be common.

Cuba in Mexico: first record of Phyllops falcatus (Gray, 1839) (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) for Mexico and other new records of bats from Cozumel, Quintana Roo

The first record of Phyllopsfalcatus (Gray, 1839) in Mexico is documented from the island of Cozumel, Quintana Roo. This species is present in the Antilles, distributed in all the Cuban archipelago, Cayman Islands, and Hispaniola. It is likely that a hurricane moved these bats from Cuba to Cozumel. The Cozumel record extends the distribution more than 200 km west. Two new records from Cozumel of the bats Lasiurusega and Molossusalvarezi are also provided.

Increasing sika deer population density may change resource use by larval dung beetles

Because animal feces contain organic matter and plant seeds, dung beetles (Scarabaeinae) are important for the circulation of materials and secondary seed dispersal through burying feces. Dung beetles are usually generalists and use the feces of various mammals. Additionally, the larval stages have access to feces from only one mammal species leaving them susceptible to changes in animal fauna and variations in animal populations. Here, we explain the effects of resource availability changes associated with sika deer (Cervus nippon) overabundance on dung beetle larvae feeding habits in Japan. δ¹⁵N values were notably higher in raccoon dog and badger dung than in that of other mammals. A dung beetle breeding experiment revealed that the δ¹⁵N values of dung beetle exoskeletons that had fed on deer feces during their larval stage were significantly lower than those of beetles that had fed on raccoon dog feces. The δ¹⁵N values of the adult exoskeleton were significantly lower in a deer high-density area than in a low-density area in large dung beetles only. It is possible that the high-quality feces, such as those of omnivores, preferred by the large beetles decrease in availability with an increase in deer dung; large beetles may therefore be unable to obtain sufficient high-quality feces and resort to using large amounts of low-quality deer feces. Small dung beetles may use the easily obtained feces that is in high abundance and they may also use deer feces more frequently with increases in deer density. These findings suggest that a larval resource shift associated with deer overabundance may affect ecosystem functions such as soil nutrient cycling and seed dispersal.

Comparison of feeding habits and habitat use between invasive raccoons and native raccoon dogs in Hokkaido, Japan

BACKGROUND

In Japan, invasive raccoons cause severe ecological and social problems by transmitting pathogens to humans, livestock, and native species, causing substantial crop damage, and competing with native species. Possible competition between invasive raccoons and native raccoon dogs is of concern in Japan because Japanese raccoon dogs have a limited distribution and are native only to Japan and the two species have similar characteristics. We assessed potential competition between raccoons and raccoon dogs by comparing feeding habits and habitat use.

RESULTS

Both species were captured in Hokkaido, Japan from 2004 to 2017. More raccoons were captured close to agricultural land at the forest periphery (70.1%, 358/511); conversely, more raccoon dogs were captured in the forest core (74.9%, 253/338). Feeding habits were then examined by fecal analysis and stable isotope analyses. Fecal analysis revealed both species to be opportunistic omnivores that consumed easily found food items. However, raccoon feces contained more crops, whereas raccoon dog feces contained more insects, reflecting the different locations in which the species were trapped. Moreover, stable isotope ratios were significantly higher in raccoons than raccoon dogs (Corn has the highest carbon stable isotope (δ13C) value, and amphibians and reptiles are high in nitrogen stable isotope (δ15N); forest resources such as insects and wild fruits are low in δ13C and δ15N).

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that both species ate similar food types, but their food preferences appeared to differ. Raccoon and raccoon dog habitat use also differed, possibly because the two species inhabited areas where they could easily obtain their preferred foods. Therefore, the current feeding habits and habitat use of raccoons do not appear to overlap sufficiently with those of raccoon dogs to impact the latter. The results of this study, particularly the stable isotope data, may provide a useful precedent for future studies of competition in medium-sized mammals, particularly canids.

Interactions between the short-tailed mouse (Mus spretus) and the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus): diet overlap revealed by stable isotopes

Extensive niche overlap between closely related species generally leads to aggressive interactions and competition. The short-tailed mouse (Mus spretus Lataste, 1883) and the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus (L., 1758)) show a large habitat overlap without aggressive interactions. The present study investigates the existence of food competition between these species, based on an analysis of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes. An almost exhaustive sample of plants, which were potential food resources, was taken and analyzed to infer the consumed plants in mouse diets. The main result showed that both species had a similar diet composition, consisting exclusively of seeds and fruits. This suggests that no competition for food between these species is apparent, or if it exists it would be minimized by a differential exploitation of resources. In the absence of food and space competition,the short-tailed mouse may be using the presence of the wood mouse as an indicator of habitat food quality. In the case of wood mice, we hypothesize that the level of competition with short-tailed mice may be low because of the abundance of resources and because the wood mice may perceive the smaller short-tailed mouse as being equivalent to a young of their own species.

Nutrition and behavior of coatis and raccoons

Raccoons and coatis are inquisitive members of the Procyonidae family, commonly found in zoos, treated in wildlife rehabilitation centers, and increasing in popularity as pets. Compared with other carnivores, both species have unique adaptations and behaviors associated with their omnivorous lifestyles. It is therefore important for clinicians to have an appreciation of their natural history, diet, and behavior to aid in the formulation of captive diets and feeding strategies to mitigate potential nutritional or behavioral pathologies.

Monitoring the arsenic and iodine exposure of seaweed-eating North Ronaldsay sheep from the gestational and suckling periods to adulthood by using horns as a dietary archive

Trace elements often accumulate in keratin-rich tissues. Hair, nails, and horns grow steadily but once formed are metabolically inactive and provide an archive of trace element exposure when analyzed in segments. Here we demonstrate the use of laser ablation ICP-MS for the high-resolution monitoring of trace elements in the horns of seaweed-eating sheep from North Ronaldsay, which live on grass only during lambing time. Due to this peculiar husbandry/dietary pattern and the fact that seaweed is rich in arsenic and iodine, we hoped to use iodine and arsenic as markers for seaweed ingestion. Cross sections and scans along the growing axis (representing the first 8-10 months of the sheep's life) revealed that these elements were not homogeneously distributed in the horn, with arsenic representing the amount of seaweed intake. The scans show the periods in which the lambs were fed on milk and grass and the change to seaweed ingestion with the successive replacement of milk with seaweed; this was supported by the carbon and nitrogen isotope signatures (delta13C and delta15N) of the horn and the arsenic speciation in the horn. The period of low arsenic accumulation in the horn had terrestrial isotope signatures and accumulated arsenic of mainly inorganic origin. The period of high arsenic accumulation was characterized by isotope signatures of marine origin, and the majority of accumulated arsenic in the horn was the main arsenosugar metabolite dimethylarsinic acid. Although we have investigated only four different horns of individual sheep, this study shows that arsenic is not significantly transported with milk. However, the high concentration of arsenic in the oldest part of the horn, which was formed in utero, points to a relatively high placental transport of arsenic while the ewe was eating seaweed. In contrast to arsenic, iodine is transported not only through milk ingestion but also through the placenta in large quantities.