PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Species of the family Felidae are thought to be obligate carnivores. However, detection of plants in their faeces raises questions about the role of plants in their diet. This is particularly true for the snow leopard (Panthera uncia). Our study aimed to comprehensively identify the prey and plants consumed by snow leopards. We applied DNA metabarcoding methods on 90 faecal samples of snow leopards collected in Kyrgyzstan, employing one vertebrate and four plant markers. We found that argali (Ovis ammon) was detected only from male snow leopards. Myricaraia sp. was the most consumed among 77 plant operational taxonomic units found in snow leopard samples. It frequently appeared in samples lacking any prey animal DNA, indicating that snow leopards might have consumed this plant especially when their digestive tracts were empty. We also observed differences in the patterns of plant consumption between male and female snow leopards. Our comprehensive overview of prey and plants detected in the faeces of snow leopards and other sympatric mammals will help in formulating hypotheses and guiding future research to understand the adaptive significance of plant-eating behaviour in felids. This knowledge supports the enhancement of their captive environments and the conservation planning of their natural habitats.
摘要：
Felidae家族的物种被认为是专性食肉动物。然而,在粪便中检测到植物引起了人们对植物在饮食中的作用的质疑。对于雪豹（Pantherauncia）来说尤其如此。我们的研究旨在全面识别雪豹消耗的猎物和植物。我们对吉尔吉斯斯坦收集的90只雪豹粪便样本应用了DNA元编码方法，使用一个脊椎动物和四个植物标记。我们发现仅从雄性雪豹中检测到盘羊（Ovisammon）。Myricaraiasp.是雪豹样品中发现的77种植物操作分类单位中消耗最多的。它经常出现在缺乏任何猎物动物DNA的样本中，这表明雪豹可能会吃掉这种植物，尤其是当它们的消化道空空时。我们还观察到雄性和雌性雪豹之间植物消费模式的差异。我们对雪豹和其他同伴哺乳动物的粪便中检测到的猎物和植物的全面概述，将有助于制定假设并指导未来的研究，以了解猫科动物中植物食用行为的适应性意义。这些知识支持增强其圈养环境和自然栖息地的保护计划。
