Carrion dependence and food habits of the red fox in an Alpine area

Cagnacci, Francesca; Lovari, Sandro; Meriggi, Alberto

doi:10.1080/11250000309356493

Cited by 44 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Uncinaria stenocephala exhibited the highest dominant index in all the areas except for Bolzano province, where T. canis resulted to be the most relevant species. The importance of cestodes in the intestinal helminth fauna of V. vulpes is likely due to the diet of this carnivore in Alpine areas, which includes small and medium sized mammals (Bertolini et al 2001, Cagnacci et al 2003, intermediate hosts for the larval stages of cestodes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Intestinal helminth communities of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes L.) in the Italian Alps

Cerbo¹,

Manfredi²,

Trevisiol³

et al. 2008

Acta Parasitologica

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The study analyses the intestinal helminth communities found in 645 red foxes of alpine populations from five areas of Northern Italy. In particular, the aim was to evaluate the contribution of both environmental variability and the structure of fox population (extrinsic and intrinsic factors, respectively) in shaping the structure and composition of the intestinal helminth communities. To identify the influence of the characteristics of the host (i.e. age and sex) together with extrinsic factors (year, site, season, and altitude of collection) on number of species, total load per fox, prevalence and abundance of each parasite species, general linear models were performed. Fifteen helminth species have been detected in the intestine of 545 infected animals (84.5%) with a total of 17,144 parasites collected. The analysis of factors influencing both prevalence and abundance of infection of the parasite species revealed the preponderance of extrinsic factors on intrinsic ones. In particular, geographical areas influenced prevalence and abundance of every parasite species, showing high spatial variability. The lower influence of host factors may suggest that, in this case, host dynamics play a trivial role with respect to spatial variability in determining parasite abundance. These results pointed out high prevalence of intestinal helminth infections in the Italian Alpine fox, confirmed the typical composition of parasite fauna within fox populations, underlined local differences in the structure and composition of the helminth communities. Moreover, this study highlights the major role of extrinsic factors vs intrinsic ones.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This species shows great ecological plasticity and a variable diet partially including human food sources such as cultivated fruits or rubbish, and even domestic animals (Cagnacci et al 2003, Marinelli et al 2003. Their high adaptability allows red foxes to colonize all the Alps and any environment within this area.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intestinal helminth communities of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes L.) in the Italian Alps

Cerbo¹,

Manfredi²,

Trevisiol³

et al. 2008

Acta Parasitologica

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“…The aim of our study was to compare fox diets using analysis of stomach contents and faecal samples in the western Italian Alps, where the red fox has been reported to rely mainly on rodents, wild fruit, and ungulate carrion [20][21][22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although it may be preferable to estimate the original biomass of prey represented by faecal remains [23], we assessed the relative volume of each food item by Kruuk and Parish's technique [24], which has been widely applied in the study of carnivore diets [21,[25][26][27]. Considering both the food habits of Alpine foxes and the limits of each method, we hypothesised that discrepancies between faecal and stomach samples would have occurred mainly with regard to the volume of mediumand large-sized mammals, which, by scat analysis, is more difficult to assess with respect to that of small prey items [24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing carnivore diet by faecal samples and stomach contents: a case study with Alpine red foxes

2011

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Abstract:Research on the feeding habits of mammalian carnivores relies mainly on the analysis of stomach contents and faecal samples, but the outcomes of these two methods have only been compared in a few studies, with contrasting conclusions. In an Alpine area of NW Italy, we analysed both fox faeces collected along standardised transects, and the stomach contents of road-killed individuals. Faecal analysis involved the identification of macroscopic fragments, the identification of earthworm chaetae, and the assessment of relative volumes using Kruuk and Parish's technique. Use of both methods indicated that the diet of the red fox included mainly fruit and mammals, but quantitative differences emerged. Garbage, birds, and cultivated fruit were overrepresented in the stomach contents, while earthworms, mammals, and wild fruit prevailed in the faecal samples. Logistic Regression Analysis suggested that the method of analysis was the main factor in determining the occurrence of food items in fox diet. Nonetheless, evidence suggests that road-killed foxes may include a disproportionately high percentage of synanthropic individuals and therefore be biased towards anthropogenic food. Results suggest that by using Kruuk and Parish's technique, the main limitation of faecal analysis, i.e. the inaccurate estimation of the relative volume of each food item, can be overcome.Unauthenticated Download Date | 5/11/18 11:07 AM Assessing carnivore diet by faecal samples and stomach contents: a case study with Alpine red foxes

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“…For example, in high latitudes, greater scavenging intensity has been associated with resource stress in winter (Cagnacci et al, 2003;Selva et al, 2003;DeVault et al, 2004). For feral pigs in alpine Australia, greater winter scavenging is also inferred on the basis of greater meat bait uptake (McIlroy et al, 1993;Saunders et al, 1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Variation in the taphonomic effect of scavengers in semi‐arid Australia linked to rainfall and the El Niño Southern Oscillation

Brown

Field

Letnic

2006

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Scavenging is one of the primary taphonomic processes shaping the final composition of fossil faunal assemblages. The taphonomic effect of scavengers is variable and must be understood in the context of the causes of that variation. In this study, we investigated relationships between the El Niñ o Southern Oscillation (ENSO), variable rainfall and scavenging on 20-40 kg mammal carcasses in semi-arid New South Wales over four years. Following periods of above-average rainfall (coincident with the La Niñ a phase of the ENSO), there was an increased availability of non-carrion food and scavenging activity was moderate. Following below-average rainfall (coincident with the El Niñ o phase of the ENSO), foraging options diminished, leading to a greater importance of carrion in the diet of scavengers and a resultant increase in carcass disturbance, transport and destruction by scavengers. Feral pigs (Sus scrofa) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were the most taphonomically significant scavengers in the study. Australian ravens (Corvus coronoides) and wedge-tailed eagles (Aquila audax) were active scavengers throughout the period of the study, but had little impact on bone survival. Lace monitors (Varanus varius) also fed mostly on soft tissue and were only present seasonally. We found that climate variability in the form of short-term oscillation can result in significant variation in the impact of scavengers on carcasses and may be an important consideration when evaluating site formation scenarios and biases in fossil faunal assemblages.

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Carrion dependence and food habits of the red fox in an Alpine area

Cited by 44 publications

References 16 publications

Intestinal helminth communities of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes L.) in the Italian Alps

Intestinal helminth communities of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes L.) in the Italian Alps

Assessing carnivore diet by faecal samples and stomach contents: a case study with Alpine red foxes

Variation in the taphonomic effect of scavengers in semi‐arid Australia linked to rainfall and the El Niño Southern Oscillation

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