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Assessment of Small Indian Mongoose Diet on St. John, USVI, Using Stable Isotope Analyses
Karen E. Powers1,*, Jay E. Raymond1, Keifer L. Titus1,2, Heather N. Custer1,3, Shane Brandes1,4, and Jessica S. Lucas5
1Biology Department, Radford University, Radford, VA 24142, USA. 2Current address - Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29631, USA. 3Current address - Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, State University, AR 72467, USA. 4Current address - Pulaski County High School, Dublin, VA 24084, USA. 5Austin, TX 78737, USA. *Corresponding author.
Caribbean Naturalist, No. 73 (2020)
Abstract
On St. John, US Virgin Islands, the invasive Herpestes auropunctatus (Small Indian Mongoose) has altered natural ecological processes since its introduction over a century ago. A preliminary study on ecological consequences of their presence utilized stable isotope analyses (δ13C and δ15N) and suggested differences in diet across a small geographic area on St. John (as well as differences across age classes). We further investigated mongoose diet using tissue samples from a suite of potential prey items on St. John across a wider geographic range, with a larger sample size. Using 97 mongoose samples collected in 2014 and 2016, coupled with samples from an array of potential prey items, we found apparent evidence that mongoose on this island are omnivores. We found minor differences between sexes and between sites, but none significantly affected the outcome of diet models. Similar isotopic signatures among mongoose and both relatively abundant and uncommon prey items suggest that a wide variety of prey may contribute to mongoose diet. Since isotope values of nesting birds and sea turtles were rather different than mongoose, they likely make up a relatively small proportion (or no part) of mongoose diet. Continued long-term sampling of this population—especially after Hurricane Irma (2017)— will further elucidate the role of mongoose in this food web.
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