Europe‐wide biogeographical patterns in the diet of an ecologically and epidemiologically important mesopredator, the red fox Vulpes vulpes: a quantitative review

Abstract

Abstract Understanding how the diet of an ecologically important mesopredator varies throughout a large region can provide an insight into the trophic responses of generalist carnivores to global change. We review the diet of the red fox Vulpes vulpes in Europe. The main aims of this study were: (1) to identify biogeographical patterns in red fox diet throughout Europe; (2) to investigate the significance of the human footprint index (a measure of anthropogenic influence on habitats) for the Europe‐wide food habits of red foxes; and (3) to discuss the ecosystem role of red foxes in the face of global change. We hypothesised that in the red fox: (1) diet composition is likely to vary along a latitudinal gradient, between seasons (pooled into warm and cold periods of the year), and in relation to human impact on habitats; and (2) dietary breadth will increase with latitude and be greater during the warm period than during the cold period. We conducted a Europe‐wide analysis of red fox diet, using data from 66 studies in 17 European countries. Multivariate analysis and generalised linear models were used to evaluate variation in diet composition and niche breadth in relation to latitude, season, and human footprint index. The analysis revealed that red fox diet composition varies considerably in response to latitude, human influence, and warm and cold periods. Dietary breadth decreases at higher latitudes in the cold period, but not in the warm period, and increases in areas with high human impact. Among individual dietary items, the consumption of lagomorphs is more frequent in areas with higher human footprint index. The occurrence of rodents and birds in fox diet increases uniformly with latitude, while that of plants and invertebrates responds differently to latitude in the warm and cold periods. With climate warming, red foxes may incorporate a wider spectrum of food categories into their diet in northern areas in the future. Widening of fox dietary niche breadth could have important consequences for ecosystems and for the spread of zoonotic diseases.