Considering sampling approaches when determining carnivore diets: the importance of where, how, and when scats are collected

摘要: Understanding the diets of carnivores is often required to inform their management, conserve prey, or minimize depredation domestic animals. Scat analysis one oldest and most commonly used methods for determining carnivore many accuracy issues associated with scat have been addressed in other studies. Little attention, however, has given questions where, how, when scats are sampled field how these factors can affect conclusions about diet. Based on a review 64 articles, two common sites collecting from grey wolves (Canis lupus) wolf homesites (i.e., dens rendezvous sites) along roads. Collections such areas combined interpreted as depictions seasonal diet, no acknowledgment inherent problems sampling at different sites. Rather than combining samples scat, we were interested comparing them. In our study, supported hypothesis that frequency prey types differs significantly between collected roads and, therefore, would tell stories summer diet if had only This difference likely due combination three interactions ecology design: local availability, timing deposition, movement behavior. especially interest considering findings review: descriptions design omitted, into single estimate opportunistically. Given results sampling, practices may data should be interpreted. Furthermore, using own idiosyncratic study an example, discuss assumptions literature, including assuming constant across packs years. To increase reliability estimates scats, researchers clearly articulate they chosen so potential biases inaccuracies assessed.