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Data from: Metabarcoding analysis provides insight into the link between prey and plant intake in a large alpine cat carnivore, the snow leopard

Yoshimura, Hiroto1; Hayakawa, Takashi2; Kikuchi, Dale M3; Zhumabai Uulu, Kubanychbek4; Qi, Huiyuan1; Sugimoto, Taro5; Sharma, Koustubh6; Kinoshita, Kodzue1

Published Apr 01, 2024 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.j9kd51cjp

Data files

Apr 01, 2024 version files 45.63 MB
Apr 01, 2024 version files 45.63 MB

Abstract

Species of the family Felidae (a group represented by cats) are thought to be obligate carnivores, specialized for hunting and consuming other animals. However, the detection of plants in the feces of felids raises questions about the role of plants in their diet. This is particularly true for the snow leopard (Panthera uncia), a big cat native to central and South Asia's high mountains. Our study aimed to comprehensively identify the prey and plants consumed by snow leopards as well as six other sympatric mammals. We applied DNA metabarcoding methods on 126 fecal samples collected from the Sarychat-Ertash Nature Reserve in Kyrgyzstan. We found that among the three most common plant families in snow leopard feces, Tamaricaceae (genus Myricaraia) was consumed often by snow leopards. The genus Myricaria frequently appeared in samples lacking any animal prey DNA, indicating that snow leopards might have consumed this plant especially when their digestive tracts were empty. We also observed a significant difference in plant composition between male and female snow leopards, and potentially between sampling seasons. We provide a comprehensive overview of the prey and plants detected in the feces of snow leopards and sympatric mammals. We believe our findings will help in formulating hypotheses and guiding future research to understand the adaptive significance of plant-eating behavior in felids and animal-plant relationships in the ecosystem.