Food habits and trophic niche overlap of the red fox and the stone marten in a Mediterranean rural area

Abstract

Food habits and trophic niche overlap of the red fox and the stone marten in a Mediterranean rural area Paola SERAFINI and Sandro LOVARI* Serafini P. and Lovari S. 1993. Food habits and trophic niche overlap of the red fox and the stone marten in a Mediterranean rural area. Acta theriol. 38: 233 -244.The food habits of the red fox Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758) and the stone marten Martes foina (Erxleben, 1777) were studied in a rural hilly area in Siena county, central Italy, using faecal analysis. Both frequency of occurrence and volume of the different foods were quantified. Rodents, especially Apodemus sp., were an important prey for both species. Predation on poultry and game birds was nearly absent, whereas fruits and insects were seasonally taken by both species. Rosaceae fruits were the most eaten plant item. Within this category the fox fed mainly on Malus sp. and Pyrus sp., while the marten showed a preference for Rubus sp. and Sorbus domestica. Only fruits of Prunus spinosa were eaten in comparable quantities. Beetles were well represented in the diet of both carnivores, although they tended to concentrate on different species. Grasshoppers were preyed in small quantity. The overall diet overlap of foxes and stone martens was extensive: a surprising result, if the different body size, locomotor adaptations and living habits of these carnivores are considered.

Trophic niche partitioning between two native and two exotic carnivores in SW Portugal

“…The majority of the community comparisons have addressed the overlap between martens and the red fox, describing their feeding habits as opportunistic, with availability playing a major role in prey selection patterns (Goszczynski 1986, Storch et al 1990, Serrafini and Lovari 1993, Lanszki et al 1999, Padial et al 2002. Our results corroborate the high degree of overlap between these two species found in other Mediterranean areas (Serafini and Lovari 1993). Due to the restricted geographic distribution of common genet and Egyptian mongoose in Europe, no studies to date have addressed the interaction of these four species.…”

“…The stone marten increases its diet diversity in southern Europe when compared with northern Europe, where it feeds on high energy prey -mammals and birds (Denmark: Rasmussen and Madsen 1985;Poland: Goszczynski 1986;Romania: Romanowski and Lesínski 1991;Hungary: Lanszki et al 1999). In southern latitudes the stone marten has a richer diet, including eggs and fruits (France: Waechter 1975, Libois andWaechter 1991), and in the Mediterranean region, mammals, fruits and invertebrates are equally consumed (Italy: Serafini and Lovari 1993;Spain: Delibes 1978, Alegre et al 1991, Ruiz-Olmo and Palazon 1993, Padial et al 2002Portugal: Carvalho and Gomes 2004). Our results also corroborate this increased dietary richness in diet.…”

“…Our results also corroborate this increased dietary richness in diet. The red fox, however, has been considered to be one of the most generalist carnivores in Europe (Sweden: Storch et al 1990;Poland: Goszczynski 1974Hungary: Lanszki et al 1999;France: Artois et al 1982;Artois 1989;Italy: Serafini and Lovari 1993) and in Mediterranean habitats, where the red fox has been described as feeding on a large range of prey (Italy: Serafini and Lovari 1993;Spain: Calviño et al 1984, Padial et al 2002. However, our data contradict this pattern, with the red fox being the least generalist of the four species studied, but still with a high plasticity in food habits.…”

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

“…Food habits of the red fox Vulpes vulpes (Linneus, 1758) have been studied in a variety of environments, in Europe: northern forests (Englund, 1965), cultivated central plains (Goszczynski, 1974), urban areas (Harris, 1981;Doncaster et al, 1990), Mediterranean coastal (Ciampalini & Lovari, 1985) and rural (Serafini & Lovari, 1993) areas, medium height mountains (Pre-Alps: Cantini, 1991;Jura: Ferrari & Weber, 1995;Northern Apennines: Rosa et al, 1991;Central Apennines: Patalano & Lovari, 1993).…”

Geographical variation in morphometry, craniometry, and diet of amammalian species (Stone marten, Martes foina) using data mining

“…This species is one of the most widely distributed mustelids in the Eurasian region (Genovesi et al, 1996) with a homogeneous population across its range (Tikhonov et al, 2008). It occupies a variety of habitats and is documented as a food generalist (Serafini and Lovari, 1993;Bakaloudis et al, 2012;Balestrieri et al, 2013). The stone marten is currently classified into 11 subspecies, although this level of classification is debated as this is based on few samples and a limited number of morphological characteristics, such as the shape and size of the white patch between the front legs and the neck.…”