DNA metabarcoding reveals seasonal changes in diet composition across four arthropod-eating lizard species(Phrynosomatidae:Sceloporus)

Diet composition and its ecological drivers are rarely investigated in coexisting closely related species.We used a molecular approach to characterize the seasonal variation in diet composition in four spiny lizard species inhabiting a mountainous ecosystem.DNA metabarcoding revealed that the lizards Sceloporus aeneus,S.bicanthalis,S.grammicus,and S.spinosus mostly consumed arthropods of the orders Hemiptera,Araneae,Hymenoptera,and Coleoptera.The terrestrial lizards S.aeneus and S.bicanthalis mostly predated ants and spiders,whereas the arboreal–saxicolous S.grammicus and saxicolous S.spinosus largely consumed grasshoppers and leafhoppers.The taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of the prey was higher during the dry season than the rainy season,likely because reduced prey availability in the dry season forced lizards to diversify their diets to meet their nutritional demands.Dietary and phylogenetic composition varied seasonally depending on the species,but only dietary composition varied with altitude.Seasonal dietary turnover was greater in S.spinosus than in S.bicanthalis,suggesting site-specific seasonal variability in prey availability;no other differences among species were observed.S.bicanthalis,which lives at the highest altitude in our study site,displayed interseasonal variation in diet breadth.Dietary differences were correlated with the species’feeding strategies and elevational distribution,which likely contributed to the coexistence of these lizard species in the studied geographic area and beyond.

Metabarcoding of fecal DNA reveals the broad and flexible diet of a globally endangered bird

Knowing the diet of endangered wild animals is a prerequisite for species-specific conservation and habitat management.The Sichuan partridge Arborophila rufipectus is a globally endangered Galliformes species endemic to the mountains of southwest China.Existing information on the diet of this species is biased and fragmented owing to traditional observation methods.Little is known about their dietary composition or how they respond to temporal variations in food resources throughout the year.In this study,a dietary analysis was performed on 6o fecal samples using DNA Metabarcoding of invertebrates and plants to determine the primary animal and plant components of the diet across 3 critical periods of adult life history(breeding,postbreeding wandering,and overwintering).Preys from the dipteran order,followed by the lepidopteran and ara-neaen spp.,were the predominant,animal-derived foods.Symplocos,Rubus,Celastrus,Holboellia,and Actinidia spp.supply a large abundance of fruits and seeds for this omnivorous bird.Substantial temporal dietary changes among the 3 periods and a general shift toward lower dietary diversity during the breeding season were observed,suggesting that the Sichuan partridge can adjust their diet according to the availability of food resources and their own needs.Characterizing the composition and seasonal changes in Sichuan partridge diets informs the habitat management of native flora(the plant taxa that can generate berries and seeds,such as Symplocos,Rubus,Celastrus,and Holboellia,which are likely of conservation interest)to achieve full life-cycle conservation.