Individual red foxes prefer different foods in the city and the
countryside

Date:
October 29, 2020
Source:
Forschungsverbund Berlin
Summary:
Using stable isotope analysis, scientists showed that individual
red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) have a narrower diet than might be
expected from their omnivorous habits. The population of country
foxes had a broader diet than their urban conspecifics; the diet
of urban and country foxes showed little overlap. This combination
of specialization and flexibility is a key to this omnivore's
adaptability.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Foxes are considered to be particularly adaptable and suited to life
in large cities. A team of scientists from the Leibniz Institute
for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) in cooperation with the Berlin-Brandenburg State Laboratory has now deciphered an important
aspect of these adaptations. Using stable isotope analysis, they showed
that individual red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) have a much narrower diet than
might be expected from their omnivorous habits.

The population of country foxes had a much broader diet than their urban conspecifics, whose diet differed little between individuals. The diet
of urban and country foxes showed little overlap. This combination of specialisation and flexibility is a key to this omnivore's adaptability, according to a paper published in the scientific journal Ecology and
Evolution.


==========================================================================
The diet is crucial to the survival of any animal. Using stable isotope analysis, the team led by first author Carolin Scholz (Leibniz-IZW)
has now decoded the dietary spectrum of individual foxes in urban and
rural areas. The results confirmed that red foxes are omnivorous and
can feed on a wide variety of different animals and plants. At the
same time, the results showed two different sets of specialisations:
"Firstly, the diet of country foxes was much more varied than that of
urban foxes," explains Scholz. "We detected a broad diet in foxes in
unsealed habitats, ranging from plants, molluscs and insects to larger
prey items. In contrast, urban foxes probably take advantage of the
benefits of big city life and mainly fed on food items with increased
?13C values, an indication of food thrown away by people." Secondly,
the isotope analyses confirmed that every fox is picky and specialises
on particular food items, whether in the city or in the country. So,
although the population of country foxes has a broad diet, each country
fox follows quite a one-sided diet. City foxes celebrate a double monotony
at the dinner table: both individuals and the population as a whole very
often eat (different kinds of) discarded food.

The red fox's ability to eat almost anything is certainly a key to success
in conquering urban habitats. The fact that urban foxes all eat more
or less the same food probably also indicates that there is plenty for
all of them, says Scholz. "Obviously there is enough for everyone. We
city dwellers set their table abundantly -- with leftover food, waste,
compost and pet food."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Forschungsverbund_Berlin. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Carolin Scholz, Jasmin Firozpoor, Stephanie Kramer‐Schadt,
Pierre
Gras, Christoph Schulze, Sophia E. Kimmig, Christian C. Voigt,
Sylvia Ortmann. Individual dietary specialization in a
generalist predator: A stable isotope analysis of urban and
rural red foxes. Ecology and Evolution, 2020; 10 (16): 8855 DOI:
10.1002/ece3.6584 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201029105009.htm

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