Pringle, Robert 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7487-5393, Pansu, Johan, Hutchinson, Matthew, Anderson, T. Michael, te Beest, Mariska, Begg, Colleen, Begg, Keith, Bonin, Aurelie, Chama, Lackson, Chamaillé-Jammes, Simon, Coissac, Eric, Cromsigt, Joris, Demmel, Margaret, Donaldson, Jason, Guyton, Jennifer, Hansen, Christina, Imakando, Christopher, Iqbal, Azwad, Kalima, Davis, Kerley, Graham, Kurukura, Samson, Landman, Marietjie, Long, Ryan, Munuo, Isaack, Nutter, Ciara, Parr, Catherine, Potter, Arjun, Siachoono, Stanford, Taberlet, Pierre, Waiti, Eusebio and Kartzinel, Tyler
(2022)
The generality of cryptic dietary niche differences in diverse large-herbivore assemblages.
[Data Collection]
Description
Ecological niche differences are necessary for stable species coexistence but are often difficult to discern. Models of dietary niche differentiation in large mammalian herbivores invoke the quality, quantity, and spatiotemporal distribution of plant tissues and growth-forms but are agnostic towards food-plant species identity. Empirical support for these models is variable, suggesting that additional mechanisms of resource partitioning may be important in sustaining large-herbivore diversity in African savannas. We used DNA metabarcoding to conduct a taxonomically explicit analysis of large-herbivore diets across southeastern Africa, analyzing ~4,000 fecal samples of 30 species from 10 sites in 7 countries over 6 years. We detected 893 food-plant taxa from 124 families, but just two families—grasses and legumes—accounted for the majority of herbivore diets. Nonetheless, herbivore species almost invariably partitioned food-plant taxa; diet composition differed significantly in 97% of pairwise comparisons between sympatric species, and dissimilarity was pronounced even between the strictest grazers (grass eaters), strictest browsers (non-grass eaters), and closest relatives at each site. Niche differentiation was weakest in an ecosystem recovering from catastrophic defaunation, indicating that food-plant partitioning is driven by species interactions, and stronger at low rainfall, as expected if interspecific competition is a predominant driver. Diets differed more between browsers than grazers, which predictably shaped community organization: grazer-dominated trophic networks had higher nestedness and lower modularity. That dietary differentiation is structured along taxonomic lines complements prior work on how herbivores partition plant parts and patches and suggests that common mechanisms govern herbivore coexistence and community assembly in savannas.
| Keywords: | Dryad,African savannas,large herbivores,food webs ,Resource partitioning,dietary niche,niche partitioning,species coextistence,optimal foraging,niche differences,niche differentiation,DNA metabarcoding,DNA barcoding,fecal samples,ecological networks,ecological network analysis,African ungulates,African elephant (Loxodonta africana),dik-dik (Madoqua guentheri),klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus),common duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia),oribi (Ourebia ourebi),Thomson's gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii),Cape bushbuck (Tragelaphus sylvaticus),impala (Aepyceros melampus),Grant's gazelle (Nanger grant),southern reedbuck (Redunca aurundinum),puku (Kobus vardonii),warthog (Phacochoerus africanus),nyala (Tragelaphus angasii),topi (Damaliscus lunatus),bushpig (Potamochoerus larvatus),Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus),blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus),East African oryx (Oryx beisa),waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus),greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros),sable antelope (Hippotragus niger),roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus),plains zebra (Equus quagga),Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi),common eland (Tragelaphus oryx),Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer),giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis),black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis),hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius),white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum),Mpala Research Center,Laikipia,Kenya,Serengeti-Mara Ecosystem,Serengeti National Park,Nyika National Park,Tanzania,Malawi,Niassa National Reserve,Mozambique,Hwange National Park,Zimbabwe,Kafue National Park,Zambia,Gorongosa National Park,Kruger National Park,South Africa,Addo Elephant National Park,Modern coexistence theory,Species Interactions,competition,diet selection,grasses (Poaceae),legumes (Fabaceae),grazing mammals,browsing mammals,mixed feeders,environmental DNA sequencing (eDNA sequencing),taxonomic dietary diversity,dietary plasticity,Food-web structure,network rewiring,nestedness and modularity,functional redundancy,functional complementarity,rangelands, |
|---|---|
| Depositing User: | Data Catalogue Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 23 Nov 2022 14:13 |
| Last Modified: | 23 Nov 2022 14:13 |
| DOI: | 10.5061/dryad.brv15dvcj |
| Original Record Link: | https://datadryad.org/stash/share/E2TVFvk6QNjCCFQCtPYZ7SASMQF2r3iiQvfq9Rh9Db4 |
| URI: | https://datacat.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/1877 |
Available Files
No Files to display