Diet analysis of woodrats (Neotoma spp.) based on fecal DNA metabarcoding

Characterizing niche space is critical for predicting species interactions, extinction risks, and responses to environmental change. Here, using herbivorous rodents in the genus Neotoma, we explore the delimitation of niche breadth. Through the application of plant metabarcoding, we were able to investigate how the diets of these rodents respond to changing resources as well as the extent to which dietary specialization is conserved across time and space.