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Brozou A, Fuller BT, De Cupere B, Marrast A, Monchot H, Peters J, Van de Vijver K, Lambert O, Mannino MA, Ottoni C, Van Neer W. A dietary perspective of cat-human interactions in two medieval harbors in Iran and Oman revealed through stable isotope analysis. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12316. [PMID: 37516781 PMCID: PMC10387063 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39417-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Cats are hypercarnivorous, opportunistic animals that have adjusted to anthropogenic environments since the Neolithic period. Through humans, either by direct feeding and/or scavenging on food scraps, the diet of cats has been enriched with animals that they cannot kill themselves (e.g., large mammals, fish). Here, we conducted carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratio analysis to reconstruct the diet of medieval cats and investigate cat-human interactions in two medieval harbor sites (Qalhât, Oman and Siraf, Iran). The analysis included 28 cat individuals and 100 associated marine and terrestrial faunal samples pertaining to > 30 taxa. The isotopic results indicate a high marine protein-based diet for the cats from Qalhât and a mixed marine-terrestrial (C4) diet for the cats from Siraf. Cats at these sites most likely scavenged on both human food scraps and refuse related to fishing activities, with differences in the two sites most likely associated with the availability of marine resources and/or the living conditions of the cats. By shedding light on the dietary habits of cats from two medieval harbors in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, this study illustrates the potential of stable isotope analysis in reconstructing human-cat interactions in the past.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Brozou
- Department of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133, Rome, Italy.
| | - Benjamin T Fuller
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, UMR 5563, CNRS, Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées 14, 31400, Toulouse, France
| | - Bea De Cupere
- Operational Directorate Earth and History of Life, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, 1000, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Anaïs Marrast
- UMR AASPE 7209, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CP 56, 43 Rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Hervé Monchot
- CNRS UMR 8167, Orient & Méditerranée, 27 Rue Paul Bert, 94200, Ivry-Sur-Seine, France
| | - Joris Peters
- ArchaeoBioCenter and Institute of Palaeoanatomy, Domestication Research, and the History of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Kaulbachstr. 37, 80539, Munich, Germany
- SNSB, State Collection of Palaeoanatomy Munich, Karolinenplatz 2a, 80333, Munich, Germany
| | - Katrien Van de Vijver
- Operational Directorate Earth and History of Life, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, 1000, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Olivier Lambert
- Operational Directorate Earth and History of Life, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, 1000, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Marcello A Mannino
- Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Aarhus University, Moesgård Allé 20, 8270, Højbjerg, Denmark
| | - Claudio Ottoni
- Department of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133, Rome, Italy.
| | - Wim Van Neer
- Operational Directorate Earth and History of Life, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, 1000, Brussels, Belgium
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Stable isotopes unveil one millennium of domestic cat paleoecology in Europe. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12775. [PMID: 35896571 PMCID: PMC9329303 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16969-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The domestic cat is the world's most popular pet and one of the most detrimental predators in terrestrial ecosystems. Effective protection of wildlife biodiversity demands detailed tracking of cat trophic ecology, and stable isotopes serve as a powerful proxy in dietary studies. However, a variable diet can make an isotopic pattern unreadable in opportunistic predators. To evaluate the usefulness of the isotopic method in cat ecology, we measured C and N isotope ratios in hundreds of archaeological cat bones. We determined trends in cat trophic paleoecology in northern Europe by exploiting population-scale patterns in animals from diverse locations. Our dataset shows a high variability of isotopic signals related to the socio-economic and/or geomorphological context. This points toward regularities in isotopic patterns across past cat populations. We provide a generalized guide to interpret the isotopic ecology of cats, emphasizing that regional isotopic baselines have a major impact on the isotopic signal.
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Drivers of predation by pet cats: environment overcomes predator’s intrinsic characteristics. Urban Ecosyst 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-022-01231-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Plimpton LD, Henger CS, Munshi-South J, Tufts D, Kross S, Diuk-Wasser M. Use of molecular scatology to assess the diet of feral cats living in urban colonies. JOURNAL OF URBAN ECOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jue/juab022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The overpopulation of domestic cats (Felis catus) presents a serious concern for wildlife conservationists, animal welfare advocates, public health officials, and community members alike. In cities, free-ranging, unowned cats often form high-density groups (commonly called ‘colonies’) around human provisioned food sources. While previous diet studies have primarily utilized morphology-based methods, molecular techniques offer a higher resolution alternative. In this study, we used next-generation sequencing techniques to examine the diet composition of feral cats living in five Trap-Neuter-Return colonies located in urban parks on Staten Island, a borough of New York City. We hypothesized that (1) cats living in urban colonies would still consume natural prey despite being regularly fed and (2) that the composition of taxa represented in the diet of each colony would vary, possibly due to differences in prey availability across sites. In total, 16 vertebrate prey taxa were identified in the diet, 13 at the genus level and 3 at the family level. Despite being regularly fed, 58.2% of cat scats contained DNA from natural prey. The diet composition of the cat colonies differed depending on the land cover composition surrounding the colony with the frequency of native prey positively correlated with the proportion of green space and that of non-native prey with developed land cover types. The use of molecular techniques combined with environmental DNA methods offers a promising, non-invasive approach to assessing the diet and consequently, impact of a highly abundant and non-native predator on the persistence of wildlife communities in cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura D Plimpton
- Columbia University, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, 10th Floor Schermerhorn Extension, 1200 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Carol S Henger
- Louis Calder Center-Biological Field Station, Fordham University, 31 Whippoorwill Road, Armonk, NY 10504, USA
| | - Jason Munshi-South
- Louis Calder Center-Biological Field Station, Fordham University, 31 Whippoorwill Road, Armonk, NY 10504, USA
| | - Danielle Tufts
- Columbia University, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, 10th Floor Schermerhorn Extension, 1200 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Sara Kross
- Columbia University, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, 10th Floor Schermerhorn Extension, 1200 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Maria Diuk-Wasser
- Columbia University, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, 10th Floor Schermerhorn Extension, 1200 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027, USA
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Cecchetti M, Crowley SL, Goodwin CED, Cole H, McDonald J, Bearhop S, McDonald RA. Contributions of wild and provisioned foods to the diets of domestic cats that depredate wild animals. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Martina Cecchetti
- Environment and Sustainability Institute University of Exeter Penryn Campus Penryn Cornwall TR10 9FE UK
| | - Sarah L. Crowley
- Environment and Sustainability Institute University of Exeter Penryn Campus Penryn Cornwall TR10 9FE UK
| | - Cecily E. D. Goodwin
- Environment and Sustainability Institute University of Exeter Penryn Campus Penryn Cornwall TR10 9FE UK
| | - Holly Cole
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation University of Exeter Penryn Campus Penryn Cornwall TR10 9FE UK
| | - Jennifer McDonald
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation University of Exeter Penryn Campus Penryn Cornwall TR10 9FE UK
| | - Stuart Bearhop
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation University of Exeter Penryn Campus Penryn Cornwall TR10 9FE UK
| | - Robbie A. McDonald
- Environment and Sustainability Institute University of Exeter Penryn Campus Penryn Cornwall TR10 9FE UK
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