DNA metabarcoding provides insights into seasonal diet variations in
Chinese mole shrew (Anourosorex squamipes) with potential implications
for evaluating crop impacts
Abstract
Diet analysis of potential small mammals pest species is important for
understanding feeding ecology and evaluating their impact on crops and
stored foods. Chinese mole shrew (Anourosorex squamipes), distributed in
Southwest China, has previously been reported as a farmland pest.
Effective population management of this species requires a better
understanding of its diet, which can be difficult to determine with high
taxonomic resolution using conventional microhistological methods. In
this study, we used two DNA metabarcoding assays to identify 38 animal
species and 65 plant genera from shrew stomach contents, which suggest
that A. squamipes is an omnivorous generalist. Earthworms are the most
prevalent (>90%) and abundant (>80%) food
items in the diverse diet of A. squamipes. Species of the Fabaceae
(frequency of occurrence [FO]: 88%; such as peanuts) and Poaceae
(FO: 71%; such as rice) families were the most common plant foods
identified in the diet of A. squamipes. Additionally, we found a
seasonal decrease in the diversity and abundance of invertebrate foods
from spring and summer to winter. Chinese mole shrew has a diverse and
flexible diet throughout the year to adapt to seasonal variations in
food availability, contributing to its survival even when food resources
are limited. This study provides a higher resolution identification of
the diet of A. squamipes than has been previously described and is
valuable for understanding shrew feeding ecology as well as evaluating
possible species impacts on crops.