Contemporary ecological networks reflect the influence of evolutionary and ecological processes on species interactions. Additionally, late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions and subsequent range contractions have interrupted mammalian predator–prey interactions to differing degrees among continents. However, the extent to which species losses have shaped geographic variation in the vertical and horizontal structure of contemporary mammalian food webs remains poorly understood. Furthermore, the relative influences of species loss, evolutionary history, and contemporary environmental drivers on the structure of mammalian food webs have not been tested. Here, we assembled mammal food webs for 389 sites throughout the Neotropics, Afrotropics, and Indomalaya. We first examined variation among continents in food web properties, including predator–prey richness ratios, predator generality, prey vulnerability, and predator dietary specialization. We found that Neotropical food webs bear imprints of severe species loss, featuring smaller predators, lower predator generality, higher prey vulnerability, and reduced prey species availability compared to Afrotropical food webs, in which most large mammals persisted. Furthermore, we reveal that multiple historical legacies, including community lineage history, paleoclimatic variability, mountain uplift, and species losses, as well as contemporary environmental variability, collectively predicted variation in predator dietary niche breadth within continents. Our findings offer unique perspectives on how trophic interactions within food webs respond to species losses and how macroevolutionary and macroecological processes have shaped the biogeography of contemporary mammal food webs.

We investigated the diet of the invasive black rat ( Rattus rattus ) and its overlap with co-occurring small native mammals in protected areas of the temperate forests of southern Chile. Our study was conducted during three consecutive winters between 2022 and 2025. We collected 165 fecal samples that were pooled together by location into 26 pools to describe the diet breadth of the black rat. For metabarcoding analysis, we analyzed pooled extracts aggregated by locality × sampling period (up to six 6 pellets per pool; 21 black rat pools, four small native-mammal pools and one for the only marsupial species present in the study area, Dromiciops gliroides ), using a multi-marker strategy (trnL, COI, 16S). Results are interpreted as pool-level trophic overlap and potential interference rather than direct evidence of individual-level competition. Dietary overlap was quantified using Pianka’s index and Jaccard similarity. Rattus rattus exhibited a broad omnivorous diet spanning 37 plant families, 9 arthropod orders, and eight vertebrate families, including native rodents and D. gliroides . Small native mammals displayed narrower niches, with dietary overlap being high for arthropods (Pianka = 0.835), moderate for plants at higher taxonomic level (family level) (Pianka = 0.40), and low for plant species (Jaccard = 0.11). Substantial inter-individual variation indicated that some black rats relied heavily on anthropogenic subsidies (processed foods, exotic plants, human DNA), whereas other individual black rats overlapped directly with native taxa. Black rats demonstrated the ability to exploit both native and anthropogenic resources, resulting in trophic interference with native small mammals. This overlap increases the risk of competitive pressure and predation of small native mammals in globally significant southern temperate rainforests.

The Aulacophora beetles are pests closely associated with cucurbit plants. However, research on the fine-scale population genetics of species within this genus remains limited. This study employed mitogenome data from 211 individuals (102 A. indica and 109 A. lewisii) to examine the population genetic patterns of these two common cucurbit pests, which exhibit distinct dietary preferences (A. indica and A. lewisii). Our analysis revealed that the polyphagous A. indica exhibited significantly higher genetic diversity than the oligophagous A. lewisii (p < 0.001). Populations of A. indica showed lower genetic differentiation (F ST = 0.089) and higher gene flow (N m = 212.901), with no correlation between genetic differentiation and geographic isolation (p = 0.587). In contrast, populations of A. lewisii displayed higher genetic differentiation (F ST = 0.186) and lower gene flow (N m = 62.860), consistent with the isolation by distance (IBD) model (p < 0.001). These significant differences suggest that dietary breadth may play a key role in shaping population genetic characteristics. Neutrality tests revealed signals consistent with either recent population expansion or positive selection in both species, suggesting that human-mediated crop cultivation may have influenced their genetic diversity and structure.

Understanding how large carnivores partition dietary resources is essential for assessing intra-guild competition and informing conservation strategies. In this study, we used DNA metabarcoding of scats to quantify and compare the diets of sympatric African lions (Panthera leo) and spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) across wet and dry seasons in the Greater Etosha Landscape of Namibia. Across 98 scat samples (lion = 69; spotted hyena = 29), we identified 19 vertebrate prey species. Overall, large ungulates dominated both carnivores’ diets. For lions, the most frequent prey items included gemsbok (Oryx gazella), common eland (Taurotragus oryx), plains zebra (Equus quagga burchelli), and blue wildebeest (Connochaetus taurinus). For spotted hyenas, the most frequent prey items were plains zebra, gemsbok, springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis), and black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis bicornis). Dietary niche breadth was not significantly different between species, though lions exhibited the broadest across both seasons, while diet composition was similar between species and seasons. However, the smaller sample size for spotted hyenas may limit full characterization of their diet and influence measures of overlap and niche breadth. These results suggest a moderate diet overlap and limited resource partitioning both within and among these large carnivore species across seasons, likely facilitated by opportunistic scavenging and kleptoparasitism. Both species exhibited broader dietary niche breadths during the wet season, likely reflecting increased prey availability and dispersion. Ongoing monitoring of carnivore diets using molecular tools, which provides a more accurate and comprehensive identification of diet items than manual sorting, will be essential for detecting changes in resource use and interspecific interactions in response to shifting environmental conditions and anthropogenic pressures.

Diet composition is a crucial yet understudied, dimension of animal ecology, with seasonal dietary shifts being a key factor in the population dynamics of large herbivores. However, characterizing these variations and their drivers in free-ranging animals has been challenging due to their high mobility and the diverse plant species in their diet. According to optimal foraging theory, animals select their diet to maximize energy intake, a decision process that involves evaluating the abundance and quality of potential food sources. We determined the seasonal dietary shifts and food network in high-altitude grazing yaks using DNA metabarcoding targeting the trnL region of fecal samples. Seasonal shifts in yak diet composition were structured by resource heterogeneity and influenced by plant community diversity and aboveground biomass. Dietary diversity and richness were greater in winter than summer, while plant community diversity and species richness exhibited opposite trends. This pattern indicated that yaks exhibited the strongest dietary selection during the summer with high resource abundance. Less selection in winter led to more diet dissimilarities, possibly reflecting a compensatory strategy to mitigate energetic deficits by broadening dietary niche breadth and maximizing resource availability under food limitation conditions. The proportion of forbs consumed by yaks was highest in both summer and winter, while the intake of sedges and grasses increased significantly in winter, suggesting that yaks selected high-protein forbs over grasses or sedges. Our results support the predictions from optimal foraging theory, demonstrating that the energetic basis of dietary selection governs niche width in seasonal environments. Consistent with predictions from optimal foraging theory, our study shows that the energetic drivers of diet selection determine niche breadth in seasonal environments.

Abri du Maras (Ardèche, France), located on the southeastern margins of the Massif Central, yields a long sequence of occupation from MIS 7 to MIS 3, first under a cave and then under a shelter resulting from the cave collapse. Middle Palaeolithic assemblages record different technological traditions of human groups regularly and recurrently occupying the site. Dental mesowear and low-magnification microwear are combined to reconstruct ungulate diets and occupation tempo through the Abri du Maras sequence (MIS 5: Layers 5.1–5.3; MIS 3: Layers 4.1–4.2). Mesowear captures annual dietary abrasiveness, while microwear records individual short-term intake and, for assemblages, the duration of faunal accumulation events. Across levels, Equus ferus persistently expresses a grazing signal (high MWS; high scratch counts). In Level 4.2, Cervus elaphus exhibits a clear browsing signal (low MWS; high pit counts), Megaloceros giganteus a browse-dominated mixed-feeding pattern with some divergence between mesowear and microwear results, and Rangifer tarandus a flexible mixed-feeding strategy with limited evidence for lichen consumption. Bovids present grass-dominated mixed feeding. Community-level dietary breadth peaks in 4.2, consistent with a local mosaic of open grassland and browse-rich patches; other levels skew toward more open, abrasive contexts. Microwear variability classifies multiple horse and deer (and bovid in 4.2) assemblages as seasonal events, while some MIS 5 reindeer samples indicate longer or repeated inputs. Patterns at Abri du Maras are similar to other Middle Palaeolithic Mediterranean sequences (e.g., Teixoneres Cave, Abric Romaní, Payre, De Nadale/San Bernardino, Fumane), where equids and bovids occupied open-ground niches and cervids occupied browse-dominated habitats. Overall, the results indicate that Abri du Maras functioned over time as a seasonal campsite, repeatedly reoccupied to exploit predictable prey across shifting open–ecotone landscapes, regardless of the technological tradition of the human groups and the duration of the occupations.

Abstract Due to their wide diet breadth, generalist herbivores are often less sensitive to bottom‐up forces compared to specialists. Despite this, some generalist insects can be significantly affected by the diversity and structure of the plant communities. Here, we investigated the effect of habitat and plant richness on the abundance of the super‐generalist meadow spittlebug, Philaenus spumarius (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae), at both juvenile and adult stages. We sampled 93 sites representing four habitat types (olive groves, vineyards, meadows and field margins) across eight heterogeneous agricultural landscapes in central Italy. Nymphs were sampled by quadrat sampling in April along with the herbaceous vegetation community, while adults were sampled using a sweep net in June, August and October. Nymph abundance was positively associated with plant species richness and vegetation cover at a small scale (2 m 2 ), a scale consistent with the limited movement capability of nymphs, while it did not differ between habitat types. A positive correlation between adult and juvenile densities was also observed. However, this effect weakened towards the end of the growing season. The findings indicate that bottom‐up effects associated with plant community composition can significantly influence the local abundance of a super‐generalist xylem‐feeding insect. The positive relationship between plant species richness and nymph abundance suggests that broad host use does not necessarily buffer P. spumarius against local vegetation effects. Furthermore, the marked weakening of the juvenile–adult abundance relationship is consistent with increased dispersal of adults in the fall. Given that P. spumarius exhibits variability in host use and population dynamics across its distribution range, the strength of these bottom‐up effects, as well as its dispersal patterns, is likely context dependent and may vary across environmental and geographical gradients.

Abstract Landscape structure and species traits both shape butterfly assemblages, but their joint effects, and how landscapes restructure trait space independently of richness, remain less understood. We surveyed butterflies at 50 semi‐natural grasslands (Serbia) and modelled species richness (SR) with GAMs using two sets of landscape predictors within 2‐km buffers: composition (% cover of grassland, forest, complex agriculture) and configuration (distance to the nearest natural patch, nearest natural‐patch size, edge density). We included community‐weighted mean (CWM) of two traits: wingspan (WS) and host‐plant specificity (HPS) and fit landscape‐only models, trait‐additive models and pre‐specified trait–landscape interactions per set (HPS and complex agriculture; WS and distance to the nearest natural patch). To test whether these gradients restructure trait space, we modelled functional divergence (FDiv) as a complementary response. The only landscape predictor of SR was complex agriculture, which increased richness but reduced FDiv. Beyond landscape composition, HPS consistently improved SR models in both sets, with richness peaking at intermediate‐to‐narrow diet breadth and declining towards extremes. Isolation increased SR only in large‐winged communities (WS × distance to the nearest natural patch), and FDiv increased with isolation, evidencing greater representation of trait extremes. Crucially, landscape effects on FDiv persisted after conditioning on SR, showing that landscapes filter which traits persist, not just how many species occur. Butterfly assemblages are driven by resource‐based and movement‐based filtering rather than landscape structure alone. Our key novelty shows that the same landscape gradients decouple taxonomic from functional diversity; agricultural complexity adds species while compressing trait breadth, whereas isolation benefits large‐winged communities and expands trait dispersion. Conservation should therefore track functional structure as well as counts, maintaining diverse larval host‐plants and stepping‐stone connectivity to sustain both species richness and the functional breadth that underpins resilience. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Insects' gut microbiota and their hosts share a mutually dependent symbiotic relationship. However, how insect dietary breadth relates to microbial diversity remains unclear. This study compared the gut bacterial communities of the polyphagous Aulacophora indica and the oligophagous Aulacophora lewisii. Using an integrated approach of cultivation, 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing, and bioinformatic analyses, we assessed their composition, diversity, and functional potential. Using cultivation-based methods revealed that A. indica showed a greater abundance and diversity of culturable bacteria, dominated by Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, compared to A. lewisii (Proteobacteria and Firmicutes). In contrast, high-throughput sequencing revealed the opposite pattern: A. lewisii exhibited significantly higher overall species richness and diversity. This apparent paradox highlights the methodological complementarity between cultivation and sequencing. Furthermore, the community composition differed notably at the genus level. Functional prediction via PICRUSt2 v2.2.0 indicated that core metabolic pathways, including carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and energy metabolism, were more enriched in A. indica. In summary, this study reveals systematic multi-dimensional differences in the gut microbiomes of these beetles, providing a theoretical foundation and microbial resources for understanding ecological adaptation and developing targeted control strategies based on gut microbiota.

To prioritise interventions amid the biodiversity crisis, this study applied a vulnerability framework to Nigerian avifauna by analysing 12 years of crowdsourced iNaturalist data (2013–2025). We defined vulnerability as a function of species’ sensitivity (extinction risk and specialization) and adaptive capacity (dietary breadth and movement). Analysing 8,751 research-grade records across 631 species, we tested how ecological traits predict IUCN status and reporting rates. Results showed a significant inverse association between adaptability and extinction risk. We identified a specialist penalty and monitoring gap: highly sensitive species contributed only 5% of the dataset, while generalists with high adaptive capacity dominated observations. Despite this bias, the data documented six new country records, including the African Rail ( Rallus caerulescens ) and Ross's Turaco ( Musophaga rossae ), as well as several range extensions. We conclude that while citizen science is a vital tool for monitoring common species and rapid discovery, targeted expert-led surveys remain essential for specialists. This study demonstrates that unstructured iNaturalist data can effectively inform the design of integrated biodiversity monitoring frameworks in West Africa.

Density-dependent Contraction of Dietary Breadth in Mantled Howler Monkeys (Alouatta palliata): A 10-year Study

Competition theory suggests that interspecific prey competition can result in changes to the dietary niche, but obtaining timeseries of data from sympatric species experiencing temporal variation in competition is challenging. Scotland is an important area for two species of seals, but over the past 20 years, populations of harbour seals Phoca vitulina vitulina in some areas have declined, and competition with stable/increasing numbers of grey seals Halichoerus grypus is a potential factor. Here, we standardised disparate seal diet datasets (based on analysis of prey hard parts in faeces) to investigate summer dietary metrics in two regions spanning a 24‐year period. We estimated dietary niche breadth (Simpson's diversity, D ) modelled as a function of sample size, proportional biomass diet composition corrected for digestion, and interspecific dietary niche overlap (Pianka index, O ). Dietary niche overlap was high across time and space ( O &gt;0.7). In the Moray Firth, the harbour seal dietary niche was narrow when the population was high and stable (1987–1995, mean ± SE, D = 2.9 ± 0.3) but was significantly broader when the population depleted (2010, D = 7.2 ± 0.5). Prey composition shifted from energy‐rich sandeels and clupeids to a more diverse diet of gadids and flatfish. Conversely, the dietary niche of the stable/increasing grey seal population was consistently narrow, dominated by sandeels (e.g. 2010, D = 2.3 ± 0.4). In southeast Scotland, where grey seal numbers were stable and harbour seals declined, there was no trend in the dietary niche of either species, though sandeels were less prevalent in later years. We propose that grey seals outcompeted harbour seals in the Moray Firth, and that the availability of sandeels to both seal species decreased in southeast Scotland. Changes in prey availability have therefore likely been a factor in regional harbour seal declines and could be preventing recovery.

Accurate characterization of dietary breadth is fundamental to understanding animal ecology, yet comparative studies based on inconsistent sampling protocols have often confounded measurements of behavioral variation. We address a critical question: how much observation effort is required to adequately characterize dietary breadth in mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata)? Using a comprehensive ten-year dataset, we applied multiple complementary accumulation curve approaches (abundance-based, incidence-based, and time-based) to 56,540 feeding observations totaling 6828 observation hours across two groups. Sample coverage exceeded 0.99 for both groups, confirming near-complete sampling. Species accumulation curves revealed that characterizing dietary breadth to near-completion required approximately 5000-5200 observation hours. The first 1500-3000 h captured 85%-100% of dietary diversity, with accumulation rates declining dramatically (> 95%) beyond this threshold. Overall accumulation rates averaged 0.006-0.007 species per hour. Monthly incidence-based approaches required 7-8 years of continuous sampling to reach asymptotic levels. Despite occupying neighboring habitats, groups differed substantially in observation hours required to reach equivalent species milestones, highlighting how foraging selectivity affects sampling requirements. Coverage-based rarefaction enabled comparison at equivalent sampling completeness (0.999 coverage), revealing that Group 1 exhibited higher estimated richness (51.3 species) than Group 2 (36.2 species), though overlapping 95% confidence intervals precluded definitive conclusions about between-group differences. Our results provide practical sampling benchmarks for this species and demonstrate methodological approaches applicable to primate dietary studies. We recommend that dietary studies routinely report accumulation curves and sample coverage statistics to enable assessment of sampling adequacy.

ABSTRACTUnderstanding and quantifying the dietary composition of large carnivores is crucial for elucidating their functional roles within ecosystems including their top–down regulation of prey populations and their interactions with sympatric carnivore species. In this study, we employed DNA metabarcoding to analyze the vertebrate components of the diets of three sympatric large carnivores, snow leopard Panthera uncia, wolf Canis lupus, and brown bear Ursus arctos, with particular emphasis on assessing potential interspecific competition in the Sanjiangyuan Region (SR) of the Qinghai–Xizang Plateau. Analysis revealed 11, 16, and 17 prey species in the diets of wolves, snow leopards, and brown bears, respectively. Domestic yak (Bos grunniens) was the most frequently detected prey item in the diets of both wolves (Relative Read Abundance; RRA = 52.29%) and snow leopards (RRA = 25.42%), whereas brown bears primarily consumed plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae; RRA = 43.10%) and Himalayan marmots (Marmota himalayana; RRA = 19.88%). Although high dietary niche breadth overlap was observed between snow leopards and wolves (Ojk = 0.76) and between snow leopards and brown bears (Ojk = 0.79), potential interspecific competition may be mitigated through differential prey selection and varying consumption intensities. The relatively low dietary overlap between wolves and brown bears (Ojk = 0.32) implies that these two species likely coexist by partitioning trophic resources. Moreover, the substantial proportion of livestock found in the diet of these large carnivores indicates potential presence of significant human–carnivore conflict in the SR. Combined with previous findings, our results support the hypothesis that the abundance and size‐class availability of ungulate prey are key factors enabling the sympatric existence of these three apex predators.

ABSTRACTBoom‐bust dynamics (pulses of productivity followed by extended periods of low productivity) characterise many dryland, arid environments. These dynamics drive diverse ecological functions, with populations and communities of biota responding strongly to temporal changes in productivity. These changes have flow‐on effects to dietary structuring for consumers, including top predators. Here, we aimed to assess the influence of rainfall‐triggered productivity changes on the diets of raptors using data from long‐term monitoring of a diverse (19‐species) raptor community in a central Australian desert subject to extreme boom‐bust conditions. We showed that boom‐bust dynamics influence dietary structure of the raptor community and that dietary responses are mediated by species‐specific prey preferences and movement ecology. Mean raptor dietary niche breadth increased in bust (0.012 ± 0.0007 [SE]) compared to boom (0.009 ± 0.0006) periods (model β = 0.350) whilst overlap between raptor diets increased in boom versus bust periods. Small mammals, mostly irruptive rodents, and birds featured more in the diets of raptors during boom periods whereas reptiles were prominent during busts. Sedentary, resident, raptors had more varied but consistent diets between boom and bust periods in comparison to locally nomadic and nomadic species. Our results provide the first elucidation of dietary structure and its interaction with boom‐bust dynamics in a highly diverse assemblage of desert raptors. Except for dietary specialists, we propose that predators generally focus on preferred prey when productivity peaks but expand their diets to include alternative prey when conditions are unfavourable. Dietary switching may aid the persistence of such raptor species as boom‐bust systems destabilise due to climate change, whereas dietary specialists, especially if sedentary, are likely to be at risk if preferred prey taxa decline for long periods under future climates.

Lygus lineolaris is a highly polyphagous pest that impacts key crops such as strawberries, making an understanding of its feeding behavior critical for developing effective management strategies. Using metataxonomy, this study examined the dietary breadth of L. lineolaris in a commercial strawberry field in Quebec, revealing an extensive and diverse omnivorous diet. The multiprimer approach, combined with validation samples, ensured high taxonomic resolution and accuracy. We expanded the documented list of L. lineolaris host taxa to 475, including 441 plants and 34 prey species, with 51 taxa unique to this research, comprising eight new plant hosts and five prey species. Molecular evidence confirmed active ingestion, underscoring its omnivorous behavior with a predominantly herbivorous tendency. Notably, 70% of individuals fed exclusively on plants, 20% exhibited omnivory, and only 4% were strictly zoophagous. To quantify the level of phytozoophagy in omnivorous species, we propose a novel coefficient of omnivory (CO), calculated as CO = P/(P + Z), where P and Z represent the number of individuals with molecular evidence of phytophagy and zoophagy, respectively. With a CO of 0.833 (95% CI: 0.77-0.90), L. lineolaris demonstrates a strong bias toward plant feeding. Diet composition varied seasonally and between sexes, with females showing increased zoophagy during reproductive periods. These findings highlight L. lineolaris's dietary flexibility and resilience, providing critical insights into its feeding ecology and food web interactions to inform targeted integrated pest management strategies tailored to its omnivorous nature.

ABSTRACT Dietary breadth enhances animal resilience in environments where resources are unpredictable or declining, enabling species to exploit alternative food sources when primary ones are scarce. In dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae), frugivory is an increasingly recognised foraging strategy, particularly in tropical regions experiencing mammalian declines. Here we evaluated the attractiveness of native Caryocar brasiliense (pequi) and exotic (banana) fruits to dung beetles in the Brazilian Cerrado. Furthermore, we compared the attractiveness of fresh and 48‐h fermented pequi. We hypothesised that traps baited with native fruits (fresh and fermented) would attract higher abundance, biomass and diversity of dung beetles than those baited with exotic fruit, and that fermented pequi would be more attractive than fresh pequi due to the odour of decaying fruit. We collected 426 individuals, representing 14 dung beetle species, where Canthidium sp. was classified as specialist of fermented pequi. Traps baited with pequi, both fresh and fermented, attracted significantly higher diversity, abundance and biomass than banana. However, species richness and composition did not differ significantly among bait types, indicating generalist feeding strategies related to fruits. The fermentation stage of pequi did not influence attraction, suggesting that volatile cues from fresh fruits are sufficient to trigger beetle foraging, highlighting the role of native fruits in supporting dung beetle diversity. These findings highlight the potential of native fruits as an important food resource for dung beetles and underscore the importance of using native fruits known to attract these insects to improve fruit‐based sampling methods for dung beetle assemblages in Neotropical landscapes.

The alternation between wet and dry seasons in tropical regions can dramatically affect parasite infection dynamics by influencing larval survival, intermediate-host density, definitive-host foraging behaviour, and host immune function. Freshwater chelonians are excellent models for studying parasite-host ecology. Their longevity, site fidelity, and dietary breadth make them valuable sentinel species for aquatic ecosystem health. Here, we identified the gastrointestinal helminth fauna of scorpion mud turtle (Kinosternon scorpioides) from Marajó Island and evaluated seasonal effects on parasite community dynamics. We observed a 71% reduction in parasite load during the dry season and substantial compositional shifts, in addition to species-specific responses: Spiroxys figueiredoi exclusively during floods and Nematophila grandis peaking during dry periods. Parasite species with flexible transmission pathways may thrive while specialists decline. Kinosternon scorpioides and its parasites function as sentinels, and monitoring helminth community composition could more accurately track ecosystem health than measuring host abundance alone.

The two are rapid urbanization and climate change, which pose a threat to biodiversity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Accra is a megacity in the Coastal Savannah Ecological Zone of Ghana that has seen an 800 % expansion of built-up regions during the past 30 years, with devastating consequences of habitat fracture. This paper uses a trait-based approach to forecast the way accelerating land-use transformation and changing bioclimatic situations sieve populations of native small mammals. Based on a mixture of Capture-Mark-Recapture of Urban Green Areas (UGAs), i.e., botanical gardens and remnant forest fragments, the study assesses the prediction ability of morphological, ecological, and life-history features on the predictability of an area. The results of Multi-Species Occupancy Models (MSOM) and Phylogenetic Generalized Least Squares (PGLS) provide some statistical insights in that the interaction between the body mass and dietary breadth explains the most variance in the urban occupancy. Findings show that there is a tremendous change in the composition of the communities through the filtering of the environment. The urban matrix is dominated by species that have fast life cycles, are generalists, and have high behavioral plasticity, especially Mastomys erythroleucus and Crocidura olivieri, which have a statistically significantly higher likelihood of survival. On the other hand, habitat specialists such as Grammomys poensis have a steep decrease in occupancy as patch size decreases below a critical number of 1.5 hectares. Morphometric analysis also indicates that urban populations usually have decreased body mass than rural conspecifics, with the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect having a strong negative relationship with physiological state. These results show that there is a tendency towards biotic homogenization with a few anthropophilic winners substituting a wide variety of native assemblages. The study offers a critical evidence-based literature on the notion of wildlife-friendly urban planning, particularly that its connectivity is crucial in the conservation of operational diversity in thriving urban cities in the tropics.

Invasive species are a widely recognized threat to ecosystems, where they can negatively affect native species through mechanisms such as predation, competition, and ecosystem modification, including altering seed dispersal. Quantifying these effects is essential to properly assess risk and inform management efforts. In Florida, USA, where introductions are numerous and frequent, one prominent invasive species is the Argentine black and white tegu ( Salvator merianae ). This large omnivorous lizard likely contributes to ecosystem disruption through all three mechanisms. To better understand the role of invasive tegus in Florida ecosystems, we analyzed the diet of two disjunct tegu populations: Miami-Dade County (established in approximately 2011) and Charlotte County (established in 2018). We identified gastrointestinal contents from 275 tegus caught between 2016 and 2021. Diet items spanned a vast range of vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants, representing 12 classes, 63 orders, and 126 families across a mix of native, invasive, and agricultural species. The most common diet groups were insects (in 97% of diets), mammals (81%), fruit (77%), and snails (60%). Vertebrate consumption was substantially more frequent in the invasive Florida populations relative to tegus in their native range. Tegus also demonstrated a tolerance for “toxic” plant and wildlife species. We used distance-based redundancy analyses to examine the influence of size, sex, capture month, habitat, and spatial autocorrelation on diet composition within each population. In both Florida populations, larger tegus and individuals captured earlier in the year tended to have more diverse diets, including higher frequencies of invasive gastropods and various vertebrates. Smaller tegus and those caught in later months exhibited lower dietary diversity and a greater reliance on fruits and insect groups, such as orthopterans. Our findings corroborate the generalist nature of tegus, whose broad and opportunistic diets likely expose a wide range of native species to predation and may facilitate the dispersal of invasive plants. Tegus’ ability to forage in both natural and degraded habitats likely increases the difficulty of extirpation and therefore supports the need for swift removal efforts in response to new introductions.