Coyote Diet Research Articles

Resource pulses shape seasonal and individual variation in the diet of an omnivorous carnivore.

Resource pulses are ecologically important phenomenon that occur in most ecosystems globally. Following optimal foraging theory, many consumers switch to pulsatile foods when available, examples of which include fruit mast and vulnerable young prey. Yet how the availability of resource pulses shapes the ecology of predators is still an emerging area of research; and how much individual variation there is in response to pulses is not well understood. We hypothesized that resource pulses would lead to dietary convergence in our population, which we tested by tracking both population-level and individual coyote diets for 3 years in South Carolina, USA. We (1) described seasonal dietary shifts in relation to resource pulses; (2) compared male and female diets across seasons; and (3) tested this dietary convergence hypothesis by quantifying individual dietary variation both across and within periods when resource pulses were available. We found that pulses of white-tailed deer fawns and blackberries composed over half of coyote diet in summer, and persimmon fruits were an important component in fall. Male and female coyotes generally had similar diets, but males consumed more deer in fall, perhaps driven by scavenging more. We found support for our dietary convergence hypothesis, where individuals had more similar diets during resource pulses compared to a non-pulse period. We also found that this convergence happened before peak availability, suggesting a non-symmetric response to pulse availability. We show that nearly all coyotes eat fawns, suggesting that targeted efforts to remove "fawn killers" would be in vain. Instead, given how quickly coyotes collectively converge on resource pulses, our findings show that resource pulses could potentially be used by managers to alter the behavior of apex predators. More broadly, we open a new line of inquiry into how variation in individual foraging decisions scales up to shape the effects of resource pulses on ecological communities.

Land cover and space use influence coyote carnivory: evidence from stable-isotope analysis

For many species, the relationship between space use and diet composition is complex, with individuals adopting varying space use strategies such as territoriality to facilitate resource acquisition. Coyotes (Canis latrans) exhibit two disparate types of space use; defending mutually exclusive territories (residents) or moving nomadically across landscapes (transients). Resident coyotes have increased access to familiar food resources, thus improved foraging opportunities to compensate for the energetic costs of defending territories. Conversely, transients do not defend territories and are able to redirect energetic costs of territorial defense towards extensive movements in search of mates and breeding opportunities. These differences in space use attributed to different behavioral strategies likely influence foraging and ultimately diet composition, but these relationships have not been well studied. We investigated diet composition of resident and transient coyotes in the southeastern United States by pairing individual space use patterns with analysis of stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope values to assess diet. During 2016–2017, we monitored 41 coyotes (26 residents, 15 transients) with GPS radio-collars along the Savannah River area in the southeastern United States. We observed a canopy effect on δ13C values and little anthropogenic food in coyote diets, suggesting 13C enrichment is likely more influenced by reduced canopy cover than consumption of human foods. We also observed other land cover effects, such as agricultural cover and road density, on δ15N values as well as reduced space used by coyotes, suggesting that cover types and localized, resident-like space use can influence the degree of carnivory in coyotes. Finally, diets and niche space did not differ between resident and transient coyotes despite differences observed in the proportional contribution of potential food sources to their diets. Although our stable isotope mixing models detected differences between the diets of resident and transient coyotes, both relied mostly on mammalian prey (52.8%, SD = 15.9 for residents, 42.0%, SD = 15.6 for transients). Resident coyotes consumed more game birds (21.3%, SD = 11.6 vs 13.7%, SD = 8.8) and less fruit (10.5%, SD = 6.9 vs 21.3%, SD = 10.7) and insects (7.2%, SD = 4.7 vs 14.3%, SD = 8.5) than did transients. Our findings indicate that coyote populations fall on a feeding continuum of omnivory to carnivory in which variability in feeding strategies is influenced by land cover characteristics and space use behaviors.

Assessing springtime vertebrate prey of sympatric mesopredators in the southeastern United States using metabarcoding analysis.

Coyotes (Canis latrans) colonized the eastern United States over the last century and formed a 3-species predator guild with bobcats (Lynx rufus) and gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) across much of the southeastern United States. Diets among the three species vary along with respective impacts on game species such as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo). To determine predation impacts on vertebrate prey and dietary overlap in consumption of prey items, we assessed diets of coyote, bobcat, and gray fox during spring, coinciding with white-tailed deer fawning and wild turkey nesting and brood rearing. We sampled across three sites along the Savannah River in South Carolina from mid-May through mid-June of 2020-2021. We collected 180 scat samples along 295.9 kilometers (71.1-122.4 km/site) of unpaved secondary roads and used DNA metabarcoding to determine vertebrate diet items. We identified predator species of scat using DNA metabarcoding and species-specific mtDNA fragment analysis (153 were coyote, 20 bobcat, and seven gray fox). Overall, we found evidence that two species, coyote and bobcat, consumed deer while all three consumed turkeys. Frequency of deer in the diet varied across sites for coyotes from 62-86% and wild turkey was present with a frequency of occurrence of 9% for coyotes, 5% for bobcats, and 14% for gray fox. Vertebrate diet specialization was evident across predator species with high frequency of deer in coyote diets, rabbits and small mammals in bobcat diets, and herpetofauna in gray fox diets. During deer fawning and wild turkey nesting and brood rearing, dietary overlap appears to be mediated by disparate selection of prey items, which reduced competition among coyotes, bobcats, and gray foxes. Use of DNA metabarcoding may augment our understanding of dietary preferences within this predator guild by providing increased resolution of diet composition among important game species.

Age-dependent relationships among diet, body condition, and Echinococcus multilocularis infection in urban coyotes.

Urban coyotes (Canis latrans) in North America increasingly exhibit a high prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis, a cestode of recent and rising public health concern that uses rodents as intermediate hosts and canids as definitive hosts. However, little is known about the factors that drive the high urban prevalence of this parasite. We hypothesized that the diet of urban coyotes may contribute to their higher E. multilocularis infection prevalence via either (a) greater exposure to the parasite from increased rodent consumption or (b) increased susceptibility to infection due to the negative health effects of consuming anthropogenic food. We tested these hypotheses by comparing the presence and intensity of E. multilocularis infection to physiological data (age, sex, body condition, and spleen mass), short-term diet (stomach contents), and long-term diet (δ13C and δ15N stable isotopes) in 112 coyote carcasses collected for reasons other than this study from Edmonton, Alberta and the surrounding area. Overall, the best predictor of infection status in this population was young age, where the likelihood of infection decreased with age in rural coyotes but not urban ones. Neither short- nor long-term measures of diet could predict infection across our entire sample, but we found support for our initial hypotheses in young, urban coyotes: both rodent and anthropogenic food consumption effectively predicted E. multilocularis infection in this population. The effects of these predictors were more variable in rural coyotes and older coyotes. We suggest that limiting coyote access to areas in which anthropogenic food and rodent habitat overlap (e.g., compost piles or garbage sites) may effectively reduce the risk of infection, deposition, and transmission of this emerging zoonotic parasite in urban areas.

Coyotes eat flies at carrion

Coyote (Canis latrans) are a generalist carnivore that are presumed to be a facultative scavenger. However, we observed feeding behavior that calls into question the simplicity of this interaction. During a carcass deployment experiment, we recorded 105 potential coyote feeding observations, of which 44 included information regarding the food item being consumed. Adult necrophagous flies accounted for these detailed observations as often as carrion (21% of all potential feeding events). Most observations of necrophagous fly consumption occurred at a single block during a restricted window of time, which could reveal individual variation in coyote diet. Our finding highlights the importance of characterizing indirect food web interactions at carcasses. In our case, coyotes likely encountered necrophagous flies in the process of scavenging at carcasses. Food webs may thus include dependencies (e.g., necrophagous flies reproducing on decomposing organic matter) that can generate spatiotemporally limited interactions involving facultative consumers. Moving forward, researchers can advance knowledge regarding food webs by defining the complete suite of consumer interactions at resource pulses.

Supplementation of seasonal natural resources with year‐round anthropogenic resources by coyotes in natural fragments within a high‐density urban area

Coyotes Canis latrans in urban landscapes provide important food web functions and ecological services but can also trigger human‐wildlife conflict when their diet includes anthropogenic resources or domestic pets. As adaptable omnivores, coyotes adjust their diet to their environment, routinely switching among food items to accommodate spatial and seasonal differences in availability. To evaluate the coyote's potential impacts within the food web of urban Long Beach, California where human‐wildlife conflict involving coyotes may occur, we analyzed 115 scat samples collected once every two weeks from four open space fragments inside the urban matrix. We hypothesized that differences in scat composition would correlate with seasonal and site differences, with greater use of anthropogenic resources during the dry season supplementing lower prey availability, and with greater consumption of wild mammal prey during the wet season when fruiting plants are less abundant. We found coyote diet was predominately composed of natural prey and vegetation year‐round, with seasonal variation. Mammals made up more of coyote diet in the wet season than the dry, while invertebrates and vegetation were more prevalent in dry season scats. Coyotes relied on rabbits as their main prey year‐round across all sites. Domestic cats Felis catus were the third most common individual prey species found in coyote scats, occurring in 14% of scat samples in both seasons. Coyotes also supplemented seasonally available natural food sources with anthropogenic resources, which occurred in 13% of coyote scats overall with no significant seasonal variation. While rabbits appeared in scat from all sites, the occurrence of invertebrates, small mammals, and vegetation in scats varied between sites. While there is a potential for human‐wildlife conflict in coyote's consumption of feral or domestic cats, coyotes may also be providing an ecological service by reducing cats in natural habitat fragments.

Recursive use of home ranges and seasonal shifts in foraging behavior by a generalist carnivore.

Coyotes (Canis latrans) colonized the southeastern United States over the last century as large predators, including the red wolf (Canis rufus) and eastern cougar (Puma concolor), were extirpated from the region. As a generalist carnivore, the coyote preys on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and various smaller mammals, birds, and vegetation. While resource selection by coyotes has been well documented at the home-range scale, little is known about their foraging behavior, which is an important factor in thoroughly understanding influences of coyotes on prey and sympatric carnivores. We assessed third-order resource selection of coyotes at sites across Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina during 2015-2016. Using GPS collars, we tracked 41 resident coyotes across four calendar seasons and identified suspected foraging areas using recursive analysis where individuals repeatedly returned to known locations. We found that resident coyotes selected for open landcover types throughout the year, while avoiding primary and secondary roads. Additionally, resident coyotes avoided forested landcover types while selecting for forest edges except from April to June when they foraged within interior forest away from edges. Previous studies have documented substantive predation rates on white-tailed deer neonates by coyotes, and that fawn mortality may increase in forested landscapes away from forest edge. Our findings indicate that foraging coyotes may select forest cover types during spring where fawns are more vulnerable to predation. Additionally, there has been debate in the literature as to how coyotes obtain consistent levels of deer in their diets outside of fawning and fall hunting seasons. Our study indicates that use of road-kill carcasses by coyotes was an unlikely explanation for the presence of deer in coyote diets throughout the year, as coyotes in our study were not observed using roads during foraging excursions.

Spatiotemporal relationships of coyotes and free-ranging domestic cats as indicators of conflict in Culver City, California.

As habitat generalists, urban coyote (Canis latrans) populations often utilize an abundance of diverse food sources in cities. Within southern California, domestic cats (Felis catus) comprise a higher proportion of coyote diets than in other studied urban areas throughout the United States. However, it is unclear which ecological factors contribute to higher rates of cat depredation by coyotes in this region. While previous research suggests that coyote presence may have a negative effect on free-ranging domestic cat distributions, few studies have determined whether urban green spaces affect coyote or free-ranging domestic cat occurrence and activity within a predominantly urbanized landscape. We placed 20 remote wildlife cameras across a range of green spaces and residential sites in Culver City, California, an area of Los Angeles County experiencing pronounced coyote-domestic cat conflict. Using data collected across 6 months from 2019–2020, we assessed the influence of green space and prey species (i.e., cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus spp.) and domestic cats) on coyote habitat use and activity. Coyotes exhibited a preference for sites with higher amounts of green space, while domestic cat habitat use was high throughout our study region. Although cottontail rabbit habitat use was also highly associated with urban green space, neither cottontails nor domestic cats appeared to temporally overlap significantly with coyotes. Unlike other cities where coyotes and domestic cats exhibit strong habitat partitioning across the landscape, domestic cats and coyotes spatially overlapped in green space fragments throughout Culver City. We suggest that this pattern of overlap may be responsible for the frequent cases of domestic cat depredation by coyotes in Culver City.

DNA metabarcoding reveals that coyotes in New York City consume wide variety of native prey species and human food.

Carnivores are currently colonizing cities where they were previously absent. These urban environments are novel ecosystems characterized by habitat degradation and fragmentation, availability of human food, and different prey assemblages than surrounding areas. Coyotes (Canis latrans) established a breeding population in New York City (NYC) over the last few decades, but their ecology within NYC is poorly understood. In this study, we used non-invasive scat sampling and DNA metabarcoding to profile vertebrate, invertebrate, and plant dietary items with the goal to compare the diets of urban coyotes to those inhabiting non-urban areas. We found that both urban and non-urban coyotes consumed a variety of plants and animals as well as human food. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) were an important food item for coyotes within and outside NYC. In contrast, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were mainly eaten by coyotes inhabiting non-urban areas. Domestic chicken (Gallus gallus) was the human food item found in most scats from both urban and non-urban coyotes. Domestic cats (Felis catus) were consumed by urban coyotes but were detected in only a small proportion of the scats (<5%), which differs markedly from high rates of cat depredation in some other cities. In addition, we compared our genetic metabarcoding analysis to a morphological analysis of the same scat samples. We found that the detection similarity between the two methods was low and it varied depending on the type of diet item.

Does water availability shift dietary preferences of coyotes in the west desert of Utah?

Water is one of the most essential resources on the planet and shapes entire ecosystems. Across the western United States, thousands of artificial water sources have been installed to assist wildlife populations in arid environments. It has been reported that kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis) can live independently of free-drinking water, but coyotes (Canis latrans) would have to more than triple their intake of prey biomass to meet energy requirements. However, previous researchers discovered no change in coyote space use, nor were survival rates of coyotes influenced by the removal of water sources. We predicted coyote diets in the treatment areas (i.e., water removed) would show an increase in leporids, as a source of preformed water after the water removal to compensate for the lack of free water. However, we found no evidence of a dietary shift by coyotes towards large-bodied prey (i.e., leporids) after water sources were removed; occurrence of leporids in the coyote diet decreased after water removal in both the control and treatment areas. Based on this study and previous research in Utah's west desert, coyotes in the Great Basin ecosystem were not influenced by artificial water sources in a spatial, demographic, or dietary capacity.

Coyote diet in North America: geographic and ecological patterns during range expansion

Abstract Coyotes Canis latrans have expanded their geographic range by 40% in the last 120 years, raising questions about their ecological impacts in the newly colonised areas. Despite a wealth of local knowledge on coyote diet in North America, we have little information about how and why diet might vary throughout the species' range. We conducted the first rangewide meta‐analysis of coyote diet by investigating how ecoregion, coyote mass, environmental conditions, presence of top predators and alternative food items are related to coyote dietary diversity, as well as consumption of small mammals, lagomorphs, vegetation and ungulates. Using data from 93 studies, we used generalised linear mixed models to determine which variables best explained coyote dietary patterns. Coyotes were generally more carnivorous in temperate forests than in other ecoregions, primarily due to greater ungulate consumption. Dietary diversity was most influenced via a negative effect of mammal consumption; coyote diet was more diverse in the spring and where human footprint was greater. There was minor variation in small mammal consumption, but lagomorph consumption was greater in spring and winter and when coyotes were larger. Vegetation consumption was greatest in summer and autumn. Ungulate consumption was positively related to coyote mass, snow cover and the presence of grey wolves Canis lupus. Both intrinsic and extrinsic factors were related to coyote diet. Larger coyotes ate larger foods, which parallels the relationship between mass and prey size across the carnivore guild. Wolves and humans have opposing effects on coyote diet. Coyotes seem to prioritise eating wild mammals, though more work is needed to quantify scavenging. Collectively, our findings emphasise the need for continued local or regional studies to understand the highly variable ecological effects of coyotes within the diverse ecosystems they currently inhabit and are poised to inhabit.

Cultivating scientific literacy and a sense of place through course-based urban ecology research.

Undergraduate research experiences have been shown to increase engagement, improve learning outcomes, and enhance career development for students in ecology. However, these opportunities may not be accessible to all students, and incorporating inquiry‐based research directly into undergraduate curricula may help overcome barriers to participation and improve representation and inclusion in the discipline. The shift to online instruction during the COVID‐19 pandemic has imposed even greater challenges for providing students with authentic research experiences, but the pandemic may also provide a unique opportunity for creative projects conducted remotely. In this paper, I describe a course‐based undergraduate research experience (CURE) designed for an upper‐level ecology course at California State University, Dominguez Hills during remote learning. The primary focus of student‐led research activities was to explore the potential impacts of the depopulation of campus during the pandemic on urban coyotes (Canis latrans), for which there were increased sightings reported during this time. Students conducted two research studies, including an evaluation of urban wildlife activity, behavior, and diversity using camera traps installed throughout campus and analysis of coyote diet using data from scat dissections. Students used the data they generated and information from literature reviews, class discussions, and meetings with experts to develop a coyote monitoring and management plan for our campus and create posters to educate the public. Using the campus as a living laboratory, I aimed to engage students in meaningful research while cultivating a sense of place, despite being online. Students’ research outcomes and responses to pre‐ and post‐course surveys highlight the benefits of projects that are anchored in place‐based education and emphasize the importance of ecological research for solving real‐world problems. CUREs focused on local urban ecosystems may be a powerful way for instructors to activate ecological knowledge and capitalize on the cultural strengths of students at urban universities.

Prairie dogs, cattle subsidies and alternative prey: seasonal and spatial variation in coyote diet in a temperate grassland

As the dominant predator on North America's grasslands, coyotes Canis latrans have a large influence on biodiversity, both on working ranches and in protected parks. Ground squirrel (sciurid) species and livestock carrion are often abundant on grasslands worldwide and have the potential to influence a predator's consumption of alternative prey. We collected 1321 scats in four seasons over two years in and adjacent to Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan, to test the hypothesis that seasonal and spatial variation in consumption of sciurid prey and cattle Bos taurus carrion influenced coyote consumption of alternative prey. Sciurid (black‐tailed prairie dog Cynomys ludovicianus and Richardson's ground squirrel Urocitellus richardsonii) remains were common from spring to fall and had a strong inverse relationship with deer (mule deer Odocoileus hemionus and white‐tailed deer O. virginianus), which were most common in winter scats. Cattle remains were most common during spring, fall and winter, and occurred in 10.6% of scats annually. Biomass estimates suggest that cattle was the highest ranked food on cattle grazing land year‐round, and the 2nd ranked food, after deer, during winter on the portion of the park from which cattle were excluded. Closer proximity of scats to a prairie dog colony increased the likelihood of prairie dog remains throughout the year and reduced the likelihood of cattle remains in scats from spring to fall, but not during winter. Individual differences in foraging and ranging behavior may explain the spatial distribution of prairie dog versus cattle in scats. Further work is needed to determine whether sciurid prey, deer, or livestock carrion support large predator populations on grassland habitats to a level that may negatively affect coexisting prey species, including species at risk.

Microbiomes in Canidae.

Because of their range expansion across North America, coyotes (Canis latrans) now occur sympatrically with numerous other predator species, including red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). This raises several interesting ecological questions, including if and how sympatry affects the diet and gut microbiomes of coyotes and red foxes. We examined the gut microbiomes of sympatric populations of coyotes and red foxes within two different National Parks in Virginia, USA, that differ in land use, vegetation, and anthropogenic disturbance: Prince William Forest Park (PRWI) and Manassas National Battlefield Park (MANA). From 2012 to 2017, scat samples from PRWI and MANA were collected and analyzed. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of a region of the mitochondrial cytochrome‐b gene followed by restriction enzyme digestion of the PCR product was used to determine the origin of each scat sample. Next‐Generation DNA sequencing of a hypervariable 16S rRNA gene region was used to determine gut microbiome information about the scat samples. There was no evidence for a difference between the gut microbiomes of red foxes in either location, or for a difference between the gut microbiomes of red foxes at either location and coyotes at the location with lower human disturbance, PRWI. However, the gut microbiomes of coyotes at the location with higher anthropogenic disturbances, MANA, revealed a marked change from those found in red foxes at either location and from those in coyotes at the location with lower disturbances. The gut microbiomes of coyotes subjected to greater human impact may provide evidence of dysbiosis, indicative of increased physiological stress and reduced health. We discuss our observations in the context of understanding anthropogenic impacts on coyote and red fox interactions. Our results suggest that physiological stress in the form of human disturbance may play an important role in the composition of the gut microbiome of coyotes, which can affect their overall health.

Variable strategies to solve risk–reward tradeoffs in carnivore communities

Mesopredator release theory suggests that dominant predators suppress subordinate carnivores and ultimately shape community dynamics, but the assumption that subordinate species are only negatively affected ignores the possibility of facilitation through scavenging. We examined the interplay within a carnivore community consisting of cougars, coyotes, black bears, and bobcats using contemporaneous Global Positioning System telemetry data from 51 individuals; diet analysis from 972 DNA-metabarcoded scats; and data from 128 physical investigations of cougar kill sites, 28 of which were monitored with remote cameras. Resource provisioning from competitively dominant cougars to coyotes through scavenging was so prolific as to be an overwhelming determinant of coyote behavior, space use, and resource acquisition. This was evident via the strong attraction of coyotes to cougar kill sites, frequent scavenging of cougar-killed prey, and coyote diets that nearly matched cougars in the magnitude of ungulate consumption. Yet coyotes were often killed by cougars and used space to minimize encounters, complicating the fitness benefits gained from scavenging. We estimated that 23% (95% CI: 8 to 55%) of the coyote population in our study area was killed by cougars annually, suggesting that coyote interactions with cougars are a complex behavioral game of risk and reward. In contrast, we found no indication that bobcat space use or diet was influenced by cougars. Black bears avoided cougars, but there was no evidence of attraction to cougar kill sites and much lower levels of ungulate consumption and carcass visitation than for coyotes. Interspecific interactions among carnivores are multifaceted, encompassing both suppression and facilitation.

Diet of Coyotes on the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge During the White-Tailed Deer Pre-Fawning and Fawning Seasons

Canis latrans (Coyote) is known to influence herbivore communities through predation. In particular, Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer) recruitment rates on the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Louisiana may be negatively influenced by Coyote predation on fawns during summer months. Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge is mostly bottomland forest surrounded by agricultural croplands and, although Coyote diets have been extensively studied, prey selection in bottomland forests is poorly understood. We collected scat samples within Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge to determine food habits of Coyotes. Coyotes used prey differently between pre-fawning and fawning seasons and exhibited inverse consumption of White-tailed Deer and small mammals by season. Consumption of White-tailed Deer increased ∼27% from the pre-fawning to fawning seasons, whereas consumption of small mammals decreased ∼21% . These findings are an important first step towards understanding prey selection by Coyotes in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley.

Prey partitioning between sympatric wild carnivores revealed by DNA metabarcoding: a case study on wolf (Canis lupus) and coyote (Canis latrans) in northeastern Washington

Accurate dietary inference of wild carnivores is essential to understand their impacts on the ecosystem and manage carnivore-livestock conflicts. Diet analysis with fecal DNA metabarcoding technology can help deliver valuable insights with fine-grained resolution. The recovery of wolves in Washington, USA offers an excellent opportunity to study the diet of this iconic carnivore species and explore prey partitioning between sympatric wolves and coyotes. We characterized the diet composition and spatiotemporal dietary variations in each species using fecal DNA metabarcoding technology on 202 fecal samples from wolves (N = 99) and coyotes (N = 103) collected across three wolf pack ranges and two seasons in northeastern Washington. We also quantified the diet niche overlap between these two canid species. In total, 19 different prey items were detected, with most assigned at the species level. Frequency of occurrence (FOO) data showed that wolves primarily preyed upon deer (Odocoileus sp.; 47.5%) and moose (Alces alces; 42.4%). Coyotes also consumed moose (30.1%) and deer (21.4%), but snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) were the most common prey (61.2%) in the coyote diet. Multiple samples were found to contain DNA from domestic animals, including pig, rabbit, and cow. Results on diet composition using FOO and relative read abundance were qualitatively similar, indicating a strong biological pattern. We found significant spatial variations in the wolf diet composition (p = 0.001) and significant spatio temporal variations in the coyote diet (pack range: p = 0.003; season: p = 0.023). Dietary overlap between these two canid species varied with pack ranges and seasons ( $$O$$ = 0.08–0.74). Our study demonstrates that fecal DNA metabarcoding is an efficient non-invasive tool to characterize high-resolution diet profiles of carnivores and monitor their dietary changes over space and time. Limitations of fecal DNA metabarcoding are also discussed.

Coyote (Canis latrans) diet and spatial co-occurrence with woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou)

The interplay of predator encounters and antipredator responses is an integral part of understanding predator–prey interactions and spatial co-occurrence and avoidance can elucidate these interactions. We conducted hard-part dietary analysis of coyotes (Canis latrans Say, 1823) and space use of coyotes and woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin, 1788)) to test two competing hypotheses about coyote and caribou predator–prey spatial dynamics using resource selection functions. The high encounter hypothesis predicts that coyotes would maximize encounters with caribou via high spatial co-occurrence, whereas the predator stealth hypothesis predicts that through low spatial co-occurrence with caribou, coyotes act as stealth predators by avoiding habitats that caribou typically select. Our dietary analysis revealed that ∼46% of sampled coyote diet is composed of caribou. We found that coyote share space with caribou in lichen-barren habitat in both summer and winter and that coyotes co-occur with caribou in forested habitat during summer, but not during winter. Our findings support predictions associated with the high encounter predator hypothesis whereby coyotes and caribou have high spatial co-occurrence promoting caribou in coyote diet.

Inter-population differences in coyote diet and niche width along an urban–suburban–rural gradient

AbstractMany generalist species thrive in urban environments by supplementing their diets with anthropogenic food, which creates numerous challenges for managing urban wildlife. Management could be advanced with more information on how spatial and temporal variation in habitat use by urban animals predicts variation in their dietary ecology. In this study, we used stable isotope analysis complemented with GPS collar location data to determine how diet composition and the dietary niche of coyotes (Canis latrans) varied across a sample of 169 individuals collected along an urban-to-rural gradient in Alberta, Canada. We further categorized urban individuals as either matrix (frequent use of developed areas) or greenspace (use of natural areas) via GPS locations. Matrix coyotes were isotopically distinct from all other coyote populations: they had the largest dietary niche, exhibited the most among-individual variation in diet, consumed the most anthropogenic food and fruit, and consumed the least amount of prey. Greenspace coyotes consumed more anthropogenic food than rural and suburban coyotes but otherwise exhibited similar niche width, among-individual heterogeneity, and prey consumption. We further tested for seasonal dietary variation and found that urban coyotes had a larger dietary niche during the summer, when they also consumed more anthropogenic food. Our conclusions were robust to our choice of mixing model parameters, including discrimination factors, suggesting that these methodological choices have limited effect when discerning relative trends among populations. Overall, our results suggest that management of urban coyotes should target the food sources accessible to coyotes in the urban matrix to reduce human–coyote conflict.

Eastern Coyotes (&lt;i&gt;Canis latrans&lt;/i&gt; var.) consuming large ungulates in a multi-ungulate system

The feeding habits of generalist predators often vary among populations and regions. For example, Coyote (Canis latrans), which is a generalist predator distributed across North America, occupies a wide range of habitats and has a highly varied diet. In this observational study, we quantified the presence of mammalian prey items in 50 Eastern Coyote (Canis latrans var.) scats collected in late spring and summer in a private game reserve in southwestern Quebec. Nearly all scats contained hair of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus; 44%), Moose (Alces americanus; 38%), or American Beaver (Castor canadensis; 38%). Although all three species are known to be consumed by coyotes, such a high proportion of Moose and White-tailed Deer simultaneously occurring in the diet of coyotes has not been previously reported. The uniqueness of the study area, with its relatively high abundance of all three prey species, may account for the uniqueness of the diet of Eastern Coyotes living there.