Highly overlapping winter diet in two sympatric lemming species revealed by DNA metabarcoding
Sympatric species are expected to minimize competition by partitioning resources, especially when these are limited. Herbivores inhabiting the High Arctic in winter are a prime example of a situation where food availability is anticipated to be low, and thus reduced diet overlap is expected. We pres...
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Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10037/8475 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0115335 |
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ftunivtroemsoe:oai:munin.uit.no:10037/8475 2023-05-15T15:00:50+02:00 Highly overlapping winter diet in two sympatric lemming species revealed by DNA metabarcoding Soininen, Eeva M Gauthier, Gilles Bilodeau, Frederic Berteaux, Dominique Gielly, Ludovic Taberlet, Pierre Gussarova, Galina Bellemain, Eva Hassel, Kristian Stenøien, Hans K. Epp, Laura Schrøder-Nielsen, Audun Brochmann, Christian Yoccoz, Nigel Gilles 2015-01-30 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/8475 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0115335 eng eng Public Library of Science (PLoS) FRIDAID 1188193 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0115335 1932-6203 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/8475 URN:NBN:no-uit_munin_8030 openAccess VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Marinbiologi: 497 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Marine biology: 497 Journal article Tidsskriftartikkel Peer reviewed 2015 ftunivtroemsoe https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0115335 2021-06-25T17:54:28Z Sympatric species are expected to minimize competition by partitioning resources, especially when these are limited. Herbivores inhabiting the High Arctic in winter are a prime example of a situation where food availability is anticipated to be low, and thus reduced diet overlap is expected. We present here the first assessment of diet overlap of high arctic lemmings during winter based on DNA metabarcoding of feces. In contrast to previous analyses based on microhistology, we found that the diets of both collared (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus) and brown lemmings (Lemmus trimucronatus) on Bylot Island were dominated by Salix while mosses, which were significantly consumed only by the brown lemming, were a relatively minor food item. The most abundant plant taxon, Cassiope tetragona, which alone composes more than 50% of the available plant biomass, was not detected in feces and can thus be considered to be non-food. Most plant taxa that were identified as food items were consumed in proportion to their availability and none were clearly selected for. The resulting high diet overlap, together with a lack of habitat segregation, indicates a high potential for resource competition between the two lemming species. However, Salix is abundant in the winter habitats of lemmings on Bylot Island and the nonSalix portion of the diets differed between the two species. Also, lemming grazing impact on vegetation during winter in the study area is negligible. Hence, it seems likely that the high potential for resource competition predicted between these two species did not translate into actual competition. This illustrates that even in environments with low primary productivity food resources do not necessarily generate strong competition among herbivores. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Bylot Island Cassiope tetragona Dicrostonyx groenlandicus Lemmus trimucronatus University of Tromsø: Munin Open Research Archive Arctic Bylot Island PLOS ONE 10 1 e0115335 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Tromsø: Munin Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftunivtroemsoe |
language |
English |
topic |
VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Marinbiologi: 497 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Marine biology: 497 |
spellingShingle |
VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Marinbiologi: 497 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Marine biology: 497 Soininen, Eeva M Gauthier, Gilles Bilodeau, Frederic Berteaux, Dominique Gielly, Ludovic Taberlet, Pierre Gussarova, Galina Bellemain, Eva Hassel, Kristian Stenøien, Hans K. Epp, Laura Schrøder-Nielsen, Audun Brochmann, Christian Yoccoz, Nigel Gilles Highly overlapping winter diet in two sympatric lemming species revealed by DNA metabarcoding |
topic_facet |
VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Marinbiologi: 497 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Marine biology: 497 |
description |
Sympatric species are expected to minimize competition by partitioning resources, especially when these are limited. Herbivores inhabiting the High Arctic in winter are a prime example of a situation where food availability is anticipated to be low, and thus reduced diet overlap is expected. We present here the first assessment of diet overlap of high arctic lemmings during winter based on DNA metabarcoding of feces. In contrast to previous analyses based on microhistology, we found that the diets of both collared (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus) and brown lemmings (Lemmus trimucronatus) on Bylot Island were dominated by Salix while mosses, which were significantly consumed only by the brown lemming, were a relatively minor food item. The most abundant plant taxon, Cassiope tetragona, which alone composes more than 50% of the available plant biomass, was not detected in feces and can thus be considered to be non-food. Most plant taxa that were identified as food items were consumed in proportion to their availability and none were clearly selected for. The resulting high diet overlap, together with a lack of habitat segregation, indicates a high potential for resource competition between the two lemming species. However, Salix is abundant in the winter habitats of lemmings on Bylot Island and the nonSalix portion of the diets differed between the two species. Also, lemming grazing impact on vegetation during winter in the study area is negligible. Hence, it seems likely that the high potential for resource competition predicted between these two species did not translate into actual competition. This illustrates that even in environments with low primary productivity food resources do not necessarily generate strong competition among herbivores. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Soininen, Eeva M Gauthier, Gilles Bilodeau, Frederic Berteaux, Dominique Gielly, Ludovic Taberlet, Pierre Gussarova, Galina Bellemain, Eva Hassel, Kristian Stenøien, Hans K. Epp, Laura Schrøder-Nielsen, Audun Brochmann, Christian Yoccoz, Nigel Gilles |
author_facet |
Soininen, Eeva M Gauthier, Gilles Bilodeau, Frederic Berteaux, Dominique Gielly, Ludovic Taberlet, Pierre Gussarova, Galina Bellemain, Eva Hassel, Kristian Stenøien, Hans K. Epp, Laura Schrøder-Nielsen, Audun Brochmann, Christian Yoccoz, Nigel Gilles |
author_sort |
Soininen, Eeva M |
title |
Highly overlapping winter diet in two sympatric lemming species revealed by DNA metabarcoding |
title_short |
Highly overlapping winter diet in two sympatric lemming species revealed by DNA metabarcoding |
title_full |
Highly overlapping winter diet in two sympatric lemming species revealed by DNA metabarcoding |
title_fullStr |
Highly overlapping winter diet in two sympatric lemming species revealed by DNA metabarcoding |
title_full_unstemmed |
Highly overlapping winter diet in two sympatric lemming species revealed by DNA metabarcoding |
title_sort |
highly overlapping winter diet in two sympatric lemming species revealed by dna metabarcoding |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10037/8475 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0115335 |
geographic |
Arctic Bylot Island |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Bylot Island |
genre |
Arctic Bylot Island Cassiope tetragona Dicrostonyx groenlandicus Lemmus trimucronatus |
genre_facet |
Arctic Bylot Island Cassiope tetragona Dicrostonyx groenlandicus Lemmus trimucronatus |
op_relation |
FRIDAID 1188193 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0115335 1932-6203 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/8475 URN:NBN:no-uit_munin_8030 |
op_rights |
openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0115335 |
container_title |
PLOS ONE |
container_volume |
10 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
e0115335 |
_version_ |
1766332894694866944 |