Assessing Asiatic cheetah's individual diet using metabarcoding and its implication for conservation.

Area of Science:

• Conservation Biology
• Wildlife Ecology
• Genetics

Background:

• Understanding the diet of large carnivores is essential for effective conservation strategies.
• The ecology and diet of the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah remain poorly understood, particularly regarding regional variations.
• This study addresses knowledge gaps concerning the Asiatic cheetah's diet across its Asian range.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the overall diet composition of the Asiatic cheetah.
• To investigate potential regional differences in the Asiatic cheetah's diet.
• To provide data-driven recommendations for the conservation of the Asiatic cheetah.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of Asiatic cheetah scats collected across its range.
• Utilized metabarcoding techniques to identify prey DNA.
• Employed microsatellite markers to determine individual prey consumption.

Main Results:

• The Asiatic cheetah's primary prey consists of mouflon, followed by ibex, cape hare, and goitered gazelle.
• Small livestock was not detected in the diet, despite its availability.
• Dietary composition varied regionally: goitered gazelles were found in flatlands, while mouflon dominated hilly and rugged terrains.

Conclusions:

• Human pressure on lowland habitats may be forcing Asiatic cheetahs into suboptimal areas with less abundant goitered gazelles.
• Conservation of flatland habitats and removal of livestock are crucial for the Asiatic cheetah's long-term survival.
• The study's methods are replicable for assessing the diets of other threatened carnivores.