Coyote (Canis latrans) Macronutrient Consumption and Diet Relative to Seasonality and Urbanization
ABSTRACT Diet selection informs the health, fitness, and behavior of wild predators. Due to assumptions that vertebrate prey contains similar compositions of macronutrients (i.e., protein, carbohydrates, and lipids), whole prey items traditionally define carnivore diets. However, increasing evidence...
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| Format: | Article |
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Wiley
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71405 |
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| author | Katherine C. B. Weiss Sean C. P. Coogan Pierre Deviche Jesse S. Lewis Savage C. Hess Jan Schipper Eric G. Strauss Beckett Sterner |
| author_facet | Katherine C. B. Weiss Sean C. P. Coogan Pierre Deviche Jesse S. Lewis Savage C. Hess Jan Schipper Eric G. Strauss Beckett Sterner |
| author_sort | Katherine C. B. Weiss |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Diet selection informs the health, fitness, and behavior of wild predators. Due to assumptions that vertebrate prey contains similar compositions of macronutrients (i.e., protein, carbohydrates, and lipids), whole prey items traditionally define carnivore diets. However, increasing evidence suggests that prey differ in terms of their macronutrient compositions, particularly relative to body size. Furthermore, omnivorous predators, like coyotes (Canis latrans), integrate both prey and nonprey diet items whose macronutrient compositions vary. This is particularly important in urbanized systems, which introduce or alter the distributions of prey (e.g., domestic pets) and nonprey (e.g., ornamental plants) foods in ways that contribute to carnivore diet selection and human–wildlife coexistence. We assessed the macronutrient composition of coyote diets seasonally and relative to urbanization in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, AZ, USA. We collected coyote scats in the field and assessed their macronutrient compositions using values gathered from the literature, as well as the volumetric composition of diet items found in coyote scats. We then assessed the macronutrient composition of coyote diets in geometric space using the geometric framework of nutrition. We observed that the macronutrient composition of coyote diets was similar between moderately and less urbanized sites, particularly in the spring–summer season. However, coyote macronutrient consumption differed seasonally, with coyotes eating more nonprotein energy relative to protein energy when carbohydrate‐rich mesquite (Prosopis spp.) was more available in the fall–winter. Our results suggest that the seasonal availability and macronutrient composition of foods contribute to coyote diets. Macronutrients directly translate to energy and subsequent animal physiology and behavior. Our findings therefore advance our understanding of coyote behavior, particularly in ways that support human–wildlife management in anthropogenic areas. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6b22c8239bfc47ea8bb6306a58ca0ef4 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-6b22c8239bfc47ea8bb6306a58ca0ef42025-08-20T02:34:20ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582025-05-01155n/an/a10.1002/ece3.71405Coyote (Canis latrans) Macronutrient Consumption and Diet Relative to Seasonality and UrbanizationKatherine C. B. Weiss0Sean C. P. Coogan1Pierre Deviche2Jesse S. Lewis3Savage C. Hess4Jan Schipper5Eric G. Strauss6Beckett Sterner7School of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe Arizona USADepartment of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta CanadaSchool of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe Arizona USACollege of Integrative Sciences and Arts Arizona State University Mesa Arizona USASchool of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe Arizona USAThe New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences Arizona State University – West Glendale Arizona USABiology Department & Center for Urban Resilience Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles California USASchool of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe Arizona USAABSTRACT Diet selection informs the health, fitness, and behavior of wild predators. Due to assumptions that vertebrate prey contains similar compositions of macronutrients (i.e., protein, carbohydrates, and lipids), whole prey items traditionally define carnivore diets. However, increasing evidence suggests that prey differ in terms of their macronutrient compositions, particularly relative to body size. Furthermore, omnivorous predators, like coyotes (Canis latrans), integrate both prey and nonprey diet items whose macronutrient compositions vary. This is particularly important in urbanized systems, which introduce or alter the distributions of prey (e.g., domestic pets) and nonprey (e.g., ornamental plants) foods in ways that contribute to carnivore diet selection and human–wildlife coexistence. We assessed the macronutrient composition of coyote diets seasonally and relative to urbanization in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, AZ, USA. We collected coyote scats in the field and assessed their macronutrient compositions using values gathered from the literature, as well as the volumetric composition of diet items found in coyote scats. We then assessed the macronutrient composition of coyote diets in geometric space using the geometric framework of nutrition. We observed that the macronutrient composition of coyote diets was similar between moderately and less urbanized sites, particularly in the spring–summer season. However, coyote macronutrient consumption differed seasonally, with coyotes eating more nonprotein energy relative to protein energy when carbohydrate‐rich mesquite (Prosopis spp.) was more available in the fall–winter. Our results suggest that the seasonal availability and macronutrient composition of foods contribute to coyote diets. Macronutrients directly translate to energy and subsequent animal physiology and behavior. Our findings therefore advance our understanding of coyote behavior, particularly in ways that support human–wildlife management in anthropogenic areas.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71405Arizonacarnivorecoyotediet selectionmammalnutritional geometry |
| spellingShingle | Katherine C. B. Weiss Sean C. P. Coogan Pierre Deviche Jesse S. Lewis Savage C. Hess Jan Schipper Eric G. Strauss Beckett Sterner Coyote (Canis latrans) Macronutrient Consumption and Diet Relative to Seasonality and Urbanization Ecology and Evolution Arizona carnivore coyote diet selection mammal nutritional geometry |
| title | Coyote (Canis latrans) Macronutrient Consumption and Diet Relative to Seasonality and Urbanization |
| title_full | Coyote (Canis latrans) Macronutrient Consumption and Diet Relative to Seasonality and Urbanization |
| title_fullStr | Coyote (Canis latrans) Macronutrient Consumption and Diet Relative to Seasonality and Urbanization |
| title_full_unstemmed | Coyote (Canis latrans) Macronutrient Consumption and Diet Relative to Seasonality and Urbanization |
| title_short | Coyote (Canis latrans) Macronutrient Consumption and Diet Relative to Seasonality and Urbanization |
| title_sort | coyote canis latrans macronutrient consumption and diet relative to seasonality and urbanization |
| topic | Arizona carnivore coyote diet selection mammal nutritional geometry |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71405 |
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