Journal of Ecology and Environment

The Ecological Society of Korea (한국생태학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Composition of the insect diet in feces of yellow-throated marten, Martes flavigula, in Jirisan National Park, South Korea

  • Choi, Moon Bo (Institute for Phylogenomics and Evolution, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Woo, Donggul (Ecosystem Conservation Division, National Institute of Ecology) ;
  • Choi, Tae Young (Ecosystem Conservation Division, National Institute of Ecology)
  • Received : 2015.03.23
  • Accepted : 2015.05.14
  • Published : 2015.08.28
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

The composition of the Martes flavigula diet has been extensively studied, but little is known about its insect component. This study characterized the insect diet and insect nest materials in the feces of M. flavigula. A total of 952 fecal samples were collected in Jirisan National Park from January 2009 to November 2011, and 1379 species or taxonomic groups were identified. M. flavigula fed on insects (8.7%) and bee wax (5.0%), which comprised 2.9% and 4.4% of the dry weight of M. flavigula feces, respectively. A total of 12 insect species belonging to 8 families in 3 orders were identified. The most frequently found insects were Hymenoptera (frequency of occurrence, FO, 89.1), including Vespa simillima simillima (FO, 37.3) and Vespula koreensis koreensis (FO, 20.0). The Vespidae constituted the majority of the insect diet in autumn when the diversity of marten's prey was strongly reduced, probably because the numbers of social insects were sufficient for M. flavigula. In addition, the data suggest that M. flavigula attacks the nests of social wasps in late autumn when males do not have a venomous sting and new queens are less aggressive than workers. Bee wax appeared in all seasons and the highest rate was from spring to early summer. However, the remains of honeybees were not found in feces; thus, M. flavigula presumably eats honey but not honeybees.

Keywords

References

  1. Archer ME. 2012. Vespine wasps of the world: behaviour, ecology & taxonomy of the Vespinae. Siri Scientific Press, Manchester.
  2. Balestrieri A, Remonti L, Ruiz-Gonzalez A, Vergara M, Capelli E, Gomez-Moliner BJ, Prigioni C. 2011. Food habits of genetically identified pine marten (Martes martes) expanding in agricultural lowlands (NW Italy). Acta Theirol 56: 199-207. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-010-0015-8
  3. Buskirk SW. 1994. Introduction to the Genus Martes. In: Martens, sables, and fishers: biology and conservation (Buskirk SW, Harestad AS, Raphael MG, Powell RA, eds). Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, pp 1-10.
  4. Choi T, Woo D, Cho B, Lee S, Yang B, Kim M, Yang D, Choi D. 2010. Management of ecological corridor to conserve wildlife population (II). National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon, p 26.
  5. Choi T, Woo D, Lee S, Kim S, Lee J, Yang B, Jeong W. 2012. Endangered wildlife research to conserve ecological corridor. National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon, p 31.
  6. Choi T, Woo D, Yang B, Kim M, Lee S, Jeong W, Choi D. 2011. Management of ecological corridor to conserve wildlife population (III). National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon, p 29.
  7. Choi T, Yang B, Woo D, Yoo B, Lee S, Choi D, Choi C, Lee BK. 2009. Management of ecological corridor to conserve wildlife population (I). National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon, p 97.
  8. Clevenger AP. 1993. Pine marten (Martes martes Linne, 1758) comparative feeding ecology in an island and mainland population of Spain. Z Saugetierkd 58: 212-224.
  9. Clevenger AP. 1994. Feeding ecology of Eurasian pine martens and stone martens in Europe. In: Martens, sables, and fishers: biology and conservation (Buskirk SW, Harestad AS, Raphael MG, Powell RA, eds). Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, pp 326-340.
  10. De Marinis AM, Masseti M. 1995. Feeding habits of the pine marten Martes martes L., 1758, in Europe: a review. In: Proceedings II Italian symposium on carnivores (Prigioni C ed). Hystrix 7: 143-150.
  11. Grassman LI, Tewes ME, Silvy NJ. 2005. Ranging, habitat use and activity patterns of binturong Arctictis binturong and yellow-throated marten Martes flavigula in northcentral Thailand. Wildl Biol 11: 49-57. https://doi.org/10.2981/0909-6396(2005)11[49:RHUAAP]2.0.CO;2
  12. Hammer O, Harper DAT, Ryan PD. 2001. PAST: Paleontological Statistics Software Package for Education and Data Analysis. Palaeontologia Electronica. 4: 1-9. http://palaeo-electronica.org/2001_1/past/issue1_01.htm. Accessed 5 March 2015.
  13. Harrison DJ, Fuller AK, Proulx G. 2004. Martens and fisher (Martes) in human-altered environments: an international perspective. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Norwell.
  14. IUCN Red List. 2014. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41649/0. Accessed 5 March 2015.
  15. Jedrejewska B, Jedrzejewski W. 1998. Predation in vertebrate communities: the Bialowieza Primeval Forest as a Case Study. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
  16. Kim JK, Choi MB, Moon TY. 2006. Occurrence of Vespa velutina Lepeletier from Korea, and a revised key for Korean Vespa species (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Entomol Res 36: 112-115. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-5967.2006.00018.x
  17. Lekagul B, McNeely JA. 1977. Mammals of Thailand. 1st Ed. Kurusapha Press, Bangkok.
  18. Marchesi P, Mermod C. 1989. Regime alimentaire de la marte (Martes martes L.) dans de Jura Suisse (Mammalia: Mustelidae). Rev Suisse Zool 96: 127-146. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.117761
  19. Matsuura M, Yamane S. 1990. Biology of the Vespine wasps. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
  20. Nowak RM. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Washington, DC.
  21. Parr JWK, Duckworth JW. 2007. Notes on diet, habituation and sociality of yellow-throated marten Martes flavigula. Small Carniv Conserv 36: 27-29.
  22. Payne J, Francis CM, Phillipps K. 1985. A field guide to the mammals of Borneo. The Sabah Society with WWF Malaysia, Kota Kinabalu.
  23. Prater SH. 1971. The book of Indian animals. 3rd Ed (as updated 1993). Bombay Natural History Society and Oxford University Press, Mumbai.
  24. Proulx G, Aubry K, Birks J, Buskirk S, Fortin C, Frost H, Krohn W, Mayo L, Monakhov V, Payer D, Saeki M, Santos-Reis M, Weir R, Zielinski W. 2004. World distribution and status of the genus Martes in 2000. In:Martens and Fishers (Martes) in Human-Altered Environments (DJ Harrison, AK Fuller, G Proulx, eds.). Springer, New York, NY, pp. 21-76.
  25. M, Weir R, Zielinski W. 2004. World distribution and status of the genus Martes in 2000. In:Martens and Fishers (Martes) in Human-Altered Environments (DJ Harrison, AK Fuller, G Proulx, eds.). Springer, New York, NY, pp. 21-76.
  26. Roberts TJ. 1977. The mammals of Pakistan. Ernest Benn Limited, London.
  27. Yamane SK, Wagner RE, Yamane S. 1980. A tentative revision of the subgenus Paravespula of eastern Asia (Hymenoptera:Vespidae). Insecta Matsumurana 19: 1-46.
  28. Zhou YB, Newman C, Buesching CD, Zalewski A, Kaneko Y, Macdonald DW, Xie ZQ. 2011. Diet of an opportunistically frugivorous carnivore, Martes flavigula, in subtropical forest. J Mamm 92: 611-619. https://doi.org/10.1644/10-MAMM-A-296.1
  29. Zhou YB, Newman C, Xu WT, Buesching CD, Zalewski A, Kaneko Y, Macdonald DW, Xie ZQ. 2010. Biogeographical variation in the diet of Holarctic martens (genus Martes, Mammalia: Carnivora: Mustelidae): adaptive foraging in generalists. J Biogeogr 38: 137-147.
  30. Zhou YB, Slade E, Newman C, Wang XM, Zhang SY. 2008. Frugivory and seed dispersal by the yellow-throated marten, Martes flavigula, in a subtropical forest of China. J Trop Ecol 24: 219-223. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266467408004793

Cited by

  1. The Food Habits and Habitat Use of Yellow-Throated Martens(Martes flavigula) by Snow Tracking in Korean Temperate Forest During the Winter vol.24, pp.5, 2015, https://doi.org/10.14249/eia.2015.24.5.532
  2. First Discovery of Vespa velutina nigrithorax du Buysson (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), an Invasive Hornet in the Feces of the Yellow-Throated Marten in South Korea vol.12, pp.4, 2015, https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12040296
  3. Prevalence of Varied Coat Coloration in a Yellow-Throated Marten (Martes flavigula) Population vol.11, pp.10, 2015, https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11102838