Seasonal diet partition among top predators of a small island, Iriomote Island in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan

A study on Iriomote Island, part of the Ryukyu Archipelago, reveals that two top predators—the endangered Iriomote cat and the Crested Serpent Eagle—coexist by partitioning their diets seasonally. Using DNA metabarcoding analysis of fecal samples, researchers identified significant differences in diet composition between the species during summer and winter, despite some overlap at the species-to-order level. The findings suggest that dietary niche differentiation is a key factor enabling these predators to thrive on a small island with limited resources. This research sheds light on the ecological dynamics of predator coexistence in constrained environments.

Tobe, A., Sato, Y., Wachi, N., Nakanishi, N., & Izawa, M. (2024). Seasonal diet partition among top predators of a small island, Iriomote Island in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. Scientific Reports, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-58204-6