Utilisation of anthropogenic food by red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in the
United Kingdom as determined by Stable Isotope Analysis
Abstract
Introduction Dietary analyses utilising visual methods to identify
stomach and faecal contents have shown that urban red foxes (Vulpes
vulpes) in the United Kingdom (UK) 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 critical to examine the degree of such foods in the UK
fox diet. Methods We analysed the stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C)
and nitrogen (δ15N) of whiskers collected from 93 foxes from across the
UK to determine: 1) the viability of stable isotope analysis (SIA) for
distinguishing between anthropogenic and natural food consumption in
foxes; 2) the degree to which urban foxes consume anthropogenic food
compared to rural foxes using a Bayesian mixing model; 3) whether
factors such as sex, age and season predict individual levels of
consumption of human-derived food in foxes. Main results 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) We estimated that
food provided either directly or indirectly by humans contributed around
35% of the urban fox diet compared to approximately 6% in the rural
fox diet. 3) Across rural and urban foxes combined, there were
significant isotopic differences between males and females, with females
demonstrating higher δ13C and lower δ15N. 4) No differences in δ13C and
δ15N between subadults and adults were observed. 5) Values of δ15N
differed significantly between samples from the summer and the winter,
where summer had the highest δ15N and winter the lowest. Additionally,
winter had the highest δ13C values of the seasons, although this
difference was not significant. Conclusion Potential negative outcomes
of anthropogenic food consumption are likely to disproportionately
impact females than males and urban-dwelling foxes than rural foxes.