Skip to main content
Dryad

Data and code from: Land use legacies shape wild boar (Sus scrofa) diet along a forest-urban gradient in Singapore

Ong, Jasmine J. M.1; Khoo, Max D. Y.2; Tay, Li Si2; Lim, Bryan T. M.2; Marsh, Charles J.1; Tan, Melvyn Aik San1; Chiok, Wen Xuan3; Png, G. Kenny32; Niissalo, Matti A.2; Khew, Gillian S. W.23; Chua, Marcus A. H.1; Soh, Malcolm C. K.2; Luskin, Matthew S.45; Lim, Jun Ying1

Published Jul 27, 2026 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.qfttdz0x3

Data files

Jul 27, 2026 version files 3.88 MB

Click names to download individual files

Abstract

Wild boars (Sus scrofa) are one of the most widespread mammals on the planet, but when overabundant, can cause negative impacts to ecosystems and people. In Singapore, native wild boars were extirpated in the mid-1900s amid rapid habitat loss and hunting, but have since re-established populations naturally and now sustain relatively high abundances in local forests where their natural predators remain absent, much of which is in close proximity to urban areas. Understanding the role that their dietary preferences play in their ecological success is thus crucial for managing their populations and human-wildlife conflict in the compact city state. Using DNA metabarcoding of faecal samples, we show that local wild boars exhibit a high degree of dietary flexibility. While there is a high prevalence of soil invertebrates and native plant foods in our samples, a wide variety of cultivated fruit tree species – common remnants of past land use in secondary forests – was also detected. DNA from native vertebrates such as mouse deer and leopard cats was also identified, suggesting that wild boar play important roles in local ecosystems. The extent of neighbouring vegetated areas explained plant and animal dietary composition, but was not strongly correlated with plant and animal dietary diversity. Our study suggests that food resources due to land use legacies may play a substantial role in subsidising local wild boar populations in Singapore. Management of cultivated tree species in secondary forests may thus be a potential strategy for regulating wild boar populations in the highly urban forests of Singapore.