Publications by authors named "Channing Hughes"
Anthropogenic impacts on carnivores can be complex, posing numerous threats to many species, yet also benefits to those able to exploit certain resources. This balancing act is particularly precarious for those adapters that exploit dietary resources provided by humans, but still require other resources only available in native habitat. Here we measure the dietary niche of one such species, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), a specialised mammalian scavenger, across an anthropogenic habitat gradient stretching from cleared pasture to undisturbed rainforest.
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- * However, research using stable isotope analysis showed that most Tasmanian devils are actually dietary specialists, meaning they stick to a narrow range of food despite the overall variety within their species.
- * Larger individuals tend to specialize more in their diets, indicating that their size could influence their food choices or that specialized feeding helps them grow heavier, especially in environments with less competition.