Does Landscape Composition Influence the Diets of Feral Cats in Agroecosystems?

Date
2024-03-06
Authors
Nottingham, CM
Buckley, HL
Case, BS
Glen, AS
Stanley, MC
Supervisor
Item type
Journal Article
Degree name
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Abstract

Habitat fragmentation can influence the diet of mammalian predators, potentially increasing their impact on prey species. Agroecosystems are fragmented landscapes that often have high densities of invasive mammalian predators. Feral cats are generalist predators that have successfully adapted to living in agricultural landscapes. Feral cats are known to eat rabbits, rodents, and birds, but it is unclear how landscape characteristics affect prey consumption. Here, we tested whether feral cat diet in New Zealand agroecosystems was affected by landscape composition and spatial configuration. We examined the contents of 112 feral cat gastrointestinal tracts collected from agroecosystems in different New Zealand regions over a 3-year period. We related prey richness and composition to the landscape composition and spatial configuration in a 500-ha area within which each cat was caught. Dietary analysis showed that feral cats were consuming invertebrates, birds, rodents, and rabbits, and that there were some regional and seasonal effects. No significant differences in prey richness or composition of the diet were associated with variation in landscape composition or spatial configuration. This study confirms feral cats as generalist predators that feed on a wide range of prey types in New Zealand agroecosystems, including some native species. Our study highlights the importance of further research for understanding how current conservation interventions in New Zealand, which include revegetation and rodent control, interact with feral cat populations and behaviours to impact on future biodiversity outcomes.

Description
Keywords
4101 Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation , 4102 Ecological Applications , 4104 Environmental Management , 41 Environmental Sciences , 14 Life Below Water , 15 Life on Land , 05 Environmental Sciences , 06 Biological Sciences , Ecology , 31 Biological sciences , 41 Environmental sciences
Source
Biological Invasions, ISSN: 1387-3547 (Print); 1573-1464 (Online), Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 26(6), 1787-1799. doi: 10.1007/s10530-024-03277-7
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