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Canales-Cerro C, Hidalgo-Hermoso E, Cabello J, Sacristán I, Cevidanes A, Di Cataldo S, Napolitano C, Moreira-Arce D, Klarian S, Millán J. Carbon and nitrogen isotopic similarity between the endangered Darwin's fox ( Lycalopex fulvipes) and sympatric free-ranging dogs in Chiloé Island, Chile. Isotopes Environ Health Stud 2022; 58:316-326. [PMID: 35968628 DOI: 10.1080/10256016.2022.2106225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Darwin's fox is an opportunistic omnivorous predator native to Chile classified as endangered by the IUCN Red List. Habitat use by Darwin's foxes can be negatively affected by the presence of free-ranging dogs that range freely across native and non-native habitats and can be a source of fox mortality. The objective of this study was to analyze the isotopic similarity of Darwin's fox and sympatric free-ranging dogs in Chiloé Island to determine the impact of anthropogenic environmental alterations on wild predators. We use hair samples to characterise and compare their δ13C and δ15N values and to evaluate isotopic similarity and isotope niches overlap. A generalised linear model was used to associate the isotope value with landscape variables (forest cover and vegetation type) and distance to the nearest house. We found no significant differences in δ13C or δ15N values between foxes and dogs, and a marginally significant isotope niche overlap (59.4 %). None of the selected variables at landscape and site scale were related to isotope values. Although our study is not a probe of direct contact between foxes and free-ranging dogs, the high isotopic similarity highlights the risk of pathogen spillover from free-ranging dogs to Darwin's foxes.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Canales-Cerro
- Centro de Investigación Marina Quintay (CIMARQ), Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Viña del Mar, Chile
- Earth Sciences Department, Lemu, Frutillar, Chile
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - E Hidalgo-Hermoso
- Conservation and Research Department, Parque Zoologico Buin Zoo, Buin, Chile
| | - J Cabello
- Chiloé Silvestre Center for the Conservation of Biodiversity, Ancud, Chile
| | - I Sacristán
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - A Cevidanes
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile
- Department of Animal Health, NEIKER-Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Bizkaia, Derio, Spain
| | - S Di Cataldo
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - C Napolitano
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Biodiversidad, Universidad de Los Lagos, Osorno, Chile
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB), Santiago-Concepción, Chile
- Centro Internacional Cabo de Hornos (CHIC), Puerto Williams, Chile
| | - D Moreira-Arce
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB), Santiago-Concepción, Chile
- Fundación ARAID, Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH), Santiago, Chile
| | - S Klarian
- Centro de Investigación Marina Quintay (CIMARQ), Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Viña del Mar, Chile
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - J Millán
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile
- Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón-IA2, Universidad de Zaragoza-CITA, Zaragoza, Spain
- Fundación ARAID, Zaragoza, Spain
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