Utilisation of Anthropogenic Food by Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Britain as Determined by Stable Isotope Analysis
ABSTRACT Dietary analyses utilising visual methods to identify stomach and faecal contents have shown that urban red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Britain consume human‐derived (anthropogenic) food to varying degrees. Anthropogenic foods have been implicated in poor health outcomes for synanthropic speci...
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| Format: | Article |
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Wiley
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70844 |
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| author | Jonathan W. J. Fletcher Simon Tollington Ruth Cox Bryony A. Tolhurst Jason Newton Rona A. R. McGill Paul Cropper Naomi Berry Krishnaveni Illa Dawn M. Scott |
| author_facet | Jonathan W. J. Fletcher Simon Tollington Ruth Cox Bryony A. Tolhurst Jason Newton Rona A. R. McGill Paul Cropper Naomi Berry Krishnaveni Illa Dawn M. Scott |
| author_sort | Jonathan W. J. Fletcher |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Dietary analyses utilising visual methods to identify stomach and faecal contents have shown that urban red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Britain consume human‐derived (anthropogenic) food to varying degrees. Anthropogenic foods have been implicated in poor health outcomes for synanthropic species that consume them; therefore, it is important to examine the degree of such foods in the British fox diet. We analysed the carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope ratios of whiskers collected from 93 foxes from across Britain to determine: (1) if stable isotope analysis (SIA) distinguished a difference in δ13C and δ15N between rural and urban foxes, and whether any difference was suggestive of anthropogenic food use; (2) the proportion of anthropogenic food consumption in urban foxes compared to rural foxes using a Bayesian mixing model; (3) whether sex, age or season of collection influenced fox diet as assessed by SIA, in relation to anthropogenic food use. We found the following: (1) urban fox diet was significantly different to rural foxes; urban foxes demonstrated significantly higher δ13C and lower δ15N, a pattern consistent with anthropogenic food consumption. (2) Food provided either directly or indirectly by humans contributed an estimated 34.6% of urban fox diet compared to approximately 6% of rural fox diet. (3) Across rural and urban foxes combined, there were significant isotopic differences between males and females, with females demonstrating higher δ13C. (4) No differences in δ13C and δ15N between subadults and adults were observed. (5) Season did not have a significant influence on δ13C and δ15N, despite winter demonstrating the highest δ13C and lowest δ15N seasonal means. Potential negative outcomes of anthropogenic food consumption are likely to disproportionately impact females more than males and urban‐dwelling foxes more than rural foxes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a1e6274d28df4d76a8dd361b51fe2dbb |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-a1e6274d28df4d76a8dd361b51fe2dbb2025-08-20T03:14:21ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582025-03-01153n/an/a10.1002/ece3.70844Utilisation of Anthropogenic Food by Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Britain as Determined by Stable Isotope AnalysisJonathan W. J. Fletcher0Simon Tollington1Ruth Cox2Bryony A. Tolhurst3Jason Newton4Rona A. R. McGill5Paul Cropper6Naomi Berry7Krishnaveni Illa8Dawn M. Scott9School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences Nottingham Trent University Southwell UKSchool of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences Nottingham Trent University Southwell UKNational Wildlife Management Centre, Animal and Plant Health Agency Gloucestershire UKSchool of Applied Sciences University of Brighton Brighton UKNational Environmental Isotope Facility Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, University of Glasgow Glasgow UKNational Environmental Isotope Facility Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, University of Glasgow Glasgow UKAnimal and Plant Health Agency York UKAnimal and Plant Health Agency York UKAnimal and Plant Health Agency York UKSchool of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences Nottingham Trent University Southwell UKABSTRACT Dietary analyses utilising visual methods to identify stomach and faecal contents have shown that urban red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Britain consume human‐derived (anthropogenic) food to varying degrees. Anthropogenic foods have been implicated in poor health outcomes for synanthropic species that consume them; therefore, it is important to examine the degree of such foods in the British fox diet. We analysed the carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope ratios of whiskers collected from 93 foxes from across Britain to determine: (1) if stable isotope analysis (SIA) distinguished a difference in δ13C and δ15N between rural and urban foxes, and whether any difference was suggestive of anthropogenic food use; (2) the proportion of anthropogenic food consumption in urban foxes compared to rural foxes using a Bayesian mixing model; (3) whether sex, age or season of collection influenced fox diet as assessed by SIA, in relation to anthropogenic food use. We found the following: (1) urban fox diet was significantly different to rural foxes; urban foxes demonstrated significantly higher δ13C and lower δ15N, a pattern consistent with anthropogenic food consumption. (2) Food provided either directly or indirectly by humans contributed an estimated 34.6% of urban fox diet compared to approximately 6% of rural fox diet. (3) Across rural and urban foxes combined, there were significant isotopic differences between males and females, with females demonstrating higher δ13C. (4) No differences in δ13C and δ15N between subadults and adults were observed. (5) Season did not have a significant influence on δ13C and δ15N, despite winter demonstrating the highest δ13C and lowest δ15N seasonal means. Potential negative outcomes of anthropogenic food consumption are likely to disproportionately impact females more than males and urban‐dwelling foxes more than rural foxes.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70844anthropogenicdietred foxstable isotope analysisurbanisationVulpes vulpes |
| spellingShingle | Jonathan W. J. Fletcher Simon Tollington Ruth Cox Bryony A. Tolhurst Jason Newton Rona A. R. McGill Paul Cropper Naomi Berry Krishnaveni Illa Dawn M. Scott Utilisation of Anthropogenic Food by Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Britain as Determined by Stable Isotope Analysis Ecology and Evolution anthropogenic diet red fox stable isotope analysis urbanisation Vulpes vulpes |
| title | Utilisation of Anthropogenic Food by Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Britain as Determined by Stable Isotope Analysis |
| title_full | Utilisation of Anthropogenic Food by Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Britain as Determined by Stable Isotope Analysis |
| title_fullStr | Utilisation of Anthropogenic Food by Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Britain as Determined by Stable Isotope Analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Utilisation of Anthropogenic Food by Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Britain as Determined by Stable Isotope Analysis |
| title_short | Utilisation of Anthropogenic Food by Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Britain as Determined by Stable Isotope Analysis |
| title_sort | utilisation of anthropogenic food by red foxes vulpes vulpes in britain as determined by stable isotope analysis |
| topic | anthropogenic diet red fox stable isotope analysis urbanisation Vulpes vulpes |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70844 |
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