DOI: 10.5061/dryad.76hdr7t22
title: Data from: Assessing springtime vertebrate prey of sympatric mesopredators in the southeastern United States using metabarcoding analysis

description: Coyotes (Canis latrans) colonized the eastern United States over the last
 century and formed a 3-species predator guild with bobcats (Lynx rufus)
 and gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) across much of the southeastern
 United States. Diets among the three species vary along with respective
 impacts on game species such as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
 and wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo). To determine predation impacts on
 vertebrate prey and dietary overlap in consumption of prey items, we
 assessed diets of coyote, bobcat, and gray fox during spring, coinciding
 with white-tailed deer fawning and wild turkey nesting and brood rearing.
 We sampled across three sites along the Savannah River in South Carolina
 from mid-May through mid-June of 2020-2021. We collected 180 scat samples
 along 295.9 kilometers (71.1 – 122.4 km/site) of unpaved secondary roads
 and used DNA metabarcoding to determine vertebrate diet items. We
 identified predator species of scat using DNA metabarcoding and
 species-specific mtDNA fragment analysis (153 were coyotes, 20 bobcats,
 and seven gray foxes). Overall, we found evidence that two species, coyote
 and bobcat, consumed deer while all three consumed turkeys. The frequency
 of deer in the diet varied across sites for coyotes from 62 – 86% and wild
 turkey was present with a frequency of occurrence of 9% for coyotes, 5%
 for bobcats, and 14% for gray fox. Vertebrate diet specialization was
 evident across predator species with a high frequency of deer in coyote
 diets, rabbits and small mammals in bobcat diets, and herpetofauna in gray
 fox diets. During deer fawning and wild turkey nesting and brood rearing,
 dietary overlap appears to be mediated by the disparate selection of prey
 items, which reduced competition among coyotes, bobcats, and gray foxes.
 The use of DNA metabarcoding may augment our understanding of dietary
 preferences within this predator guild by providing increased resolution
 of diet composition among important game species.
description: # Data from: Assessing springtime vertebrate prey of sympatric
 mesopredators in the southeastern United States using metabarcoding
 analysis --- Data includes DNA metabarcoding diet analysis from coyotes,
 bobcats, and gray foxes sampled at three sites in South Carolina during
 MayJune 2020-2021. We identified consensus predator species via DNA
 metabarcoding and mtDNA. We consolidated data into 8 categories of diet
 for frequency of occurrence analysis. ## Description of the Data and file
 structure Data in file "Youngmann et al_2023_data_PLOSONE.csv"
 includes DNA metabarcoding sequence ID (Jvid), scat identification
 (SampleID), Year, Site, Latitude, Longitude, DNA metabarcoding predator
 species id (Ac12S), mitochondrial DNA predator species id (mtDNA),
 consensus predator species id (Consensus), and 8 categories of prey (Deer,
 Wild turkey, Rabbit, Squirrel, Small mammal, Avian, Herpetofauna, Other).
 The "Jvid" DNA metabarcoding sequence ID column is
 cross-referenced with the sample IDs in DNA metabarcoding sequence files
 "Youngmann et al_2023_JVdata_PLOSONE1.csv" - "Youngmann et
 al_2023_JVdata_PLOSONE3.csv" Data in files "Youngmann et
 al_2023_JVdata_PLOSONE1.csv" - "Youngmann et
 al_2023_JVdata_PLOSONE3.csv" includes DNA metabarcoding sequence data
 run by Jonah Ventures. Sample IDs can be found as column headers starting
 with Column M and can be cross-referenced with the "Jvid" column
 in file "Youngmann et al_2023_data_PLOSONE.csv". ##
 Sharing/access Information Was data derived from another source? If yes,
 list source(s): No