Otterly delicious: spatiotemporal variation in the diet of a recovering population of Eurasian otters ( Lutra lutra ) revealed through DNA metabarcoding and morphological analysis of prey remains

Drake, Lorna E., Cuff, Jordan P., Bedmar, Sergio, McDonald, Robbie, Symondson, William O. C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3343-4679 and Chadwick, Elizabeth A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6662-6343 2023. Otterly delicious: spatiotemporal variation in the diet of a recovering population of Eurasian otters ( Lutra lutra ) revealed through DNA metabarcoding and morphological analysis of prey remains. Ecology and Evolution 13 (5) , e10038. 10.1002/ece3.10038

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Abstract

Eurasian otters are apex predators of freshwater ecosystems and a recovering species across much of their European range; investigating the dietary variation of this predator over time and space, therefore, provides opportunities to identify changes in freshwater trophic interactions and factors influencing the conservation of otter populations. Here we sampled feces from 300 dead otters across England and Wales between 2007 and 2016, conducting both morphological analyses of prey remains and dietary DNA metabarcoding. Comparison of these methods showed that greater taxonomic resolution and breadth could be achieved using DNA metabarcoding but combining data from both methodologies gave the most comprehensive dietary description. All otter demographics exploited a broad range of taxa and variation likely reflected changes in prey distributions and availability across the landscape. This study provides novel insights into the trophic generalism and adaptability of otters across Britain, which is likely to have aided their recent population recovery, and may increase their resilience to future environmental changes.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Biosciences
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Publisher:	Wiley Open Access
ISSN:	2045-7758
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	11 May 2023
Date of Acceptance:	3 April 2023
Last Modified:	12 May 2023 08:27
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/159418

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