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Vol. 64, 2025
Dietary Diversity of the Amami
Rabbit Endemic to Insular Evergreen Forests
Kei’ichiro
Iguchi1,* , Shinji Takahashi2, Mariko Suzuki3, Mitsutake Tabata4,
and Shin-ichiro Abe5
doi:-
1Faculty
of Environmental Science, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki 852-8053,
Japan. *Correspondence: E-mail: keyichi@nagasaki-u.ac.jp (Iguchi)
2Technical Division, Tohoku University, Miyagi
980-8579, Japan. E-mail: shinji.takahashi.a4@tohoku.ac.jp (Takahashi)
3Amami Wildlife Conservation Center, Ministry of the
Environment, Kagoshima 894-3104, Japan. E-mail: mariko_suzuki@env.go.jp
4Amami Ferns Club, Kagoshima 894-8601, Japan. E-mail:
suzukimarico@gmail.com (Tabata)
5College of Education, Ibaraki University, Ibaraki
310-8512, Japan. E-mail: shin-ichiro.abe.howling@vc.ibaraki.ac.jp (Abe)
(Received 24 September 2024 /
Accepted 25 February 2025 / Published -- 2025)
Communicated by Chih-Ming Hung
The Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi), endemic to
the Amami-Oshima and Tokunoshima Islands, is an endangered species that
faces habitat disturbance. This study used fecal DNA metabarcoding to
analyze the dietary preferences of Amami rabbits. Fecal samples from
six rabbits were collected and analyzed for plant DNA. The results
revealed the presence of 85 operational taxonomic units (OTUs)
representing different plant species, with individual rabbits consuming
17–38 plant species. The dietary composition varied significantly among
individuals, with a notable preference for ferns in some cases. Diet
diversity, assessed using Simpson's Diversity Index, ranged from 0.328
to 0.889. This study highlights the importance of a diverse plant diet
for Amami rabbits and underscores the need for habitat preservation to
ensure a stable food supply. Conservation efforts must focus on
maintaining a unique subtropical moist forest ecosystem and mitigating
human-wildlife conflicts to promote sustainable coexistence.
Keywords: Amami rabbit, Fecal
DNA metabarcoding, Dietary analysis, Endangered species, Subtropical
moist forests
Citation: Iguchi K, Takahashi S , Suzuki
M, Tabata M, and Abe S. 2025. Dietary diversity of the Amami rabbit
endemic to insular evergreen forests. Zool Stud 64:12.
Supplementary
materials: Fig. S1丨Fig. S2丨Fig. S3丨Fig. S4丨Fig. S5丨Table
S1丨Table S2
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